


Detangling the Web

by DNAGraceless



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emotional Manipulation, F/F, F/M, Found Family, M/M, Original character story but still very based in the actual show, Raven being an awful mother and human, Swearing, Violence, drug and alcohol abuse, serious she's terrible if you like her probably don't read this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-27
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2019-12-25 07:51:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 41,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18256955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DNAGraceless/pseuds/DNAGraceless
Summary: Seventeen years ago Raven gave birth two girls. Yang's twin sister officially died the day she was born.Now, the same year Ruby and Yang attend Beacon, Serene attends Haven academy, following her mothers footsteps to learn how to kill huntsmen.The Vytal tournament throws a wrench in the plan when Serene arrives at Beacon and meets the sisters she never knew she had





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm rewriting this as I've decided to change the story further down the line. The first few won't be too different, but hopefully this change will make the story more enjoyable to read.

_**Thanatophobia**  is the fear of death, more specifically being dead or dying._

 

The forest was illuminated by the almost full moon shining through the gaps in the trees. The leaves gently swayed in the chilly in mid-October breeze. The girl was going to die.

Sweat trickled down her forehead as she ran for her life, her aching feet leaving a trail of blood splatters as sharp rocks and sticks carved up her legs, tearing at her clothes.  
Her heaving breathing and the blood pounding in her ears were all encompassing, making it hard to hear her surroundings.

The young woman tripped, landing in the dirt. Pain burst in her knee and she gave a small cry, all she could manage in her exhausted state, and the pain in her leg took away from the burning in her lungs. She managed to crawl over behind a large, fallen tree, and pulled up her dress. Blood was gushing from her kneecap that the rock had shredded.

“Oh God,” she sobbed. Ripping up her already tattered skirt, she made a makeshift bandage from the dirty rags and tried to stand, the pain almost unbearable. She pushed herself to her sore feet she started to limp off, adrenaline and fear pushing her through the agony.

The crack of a stick breaking sounded through the woods like a shot from a gun in front of her and she froze, eyes widening as she stared off in front of her. The moon disappeared behind a cloud and the woods was suddenly very dark.

“Oh God,” She sobbed, looking around. “Oh God,” She fell to her knees, muffling a scream as she hit her injured knee. She fell on her elbows, clasping her hands together. She began to mutter.

 “I pray to the elder brother and ask that he protect me in my time of peril, protect me from the darkness and help me find my way home, please protect my family from the pain of death and keep us safe in your light in my darkest hour-”

Another stick broke behind her and her voice quivered. She looked up, still praying.

“Please, please brother help me find my way back to my village, show me that path,”  
As soon as she finished speaking the moon came back out from the crowd and the wind stopped. She strained her eyes and ears and heard the sounds she had literally been praying for.

“Cleo! Cleo!”

She could hear the voices calling her name. With a burst of energy and hope she lurched forward, pushing her pain deep down and running as fast as she could towards the sound.

She could see the dirt road between to large trees and ran for it, hearing the voices grow louder and louder. If she could just make it to the road, she could call out to them. She would be safe; The Elder Brother had heard her!

She was just a few metres from the tree line. She could do this.

Summoning all her energy, she burst forward, breaking through the trees and taking a deep breath to scream out.

It was the last breath she ever took.

“HE-”

Pain erupted from her neck, stinging and sharp, as the wire cut through her voice as it had through her pale skin. She fell to the dirt, clutching her throat as the blood gushed through her fingers. She gasped, feeling the warm fluid ooze down her chest.

Through the pain and shock, she could hear footsteps coming up behind her. She felt hands pulling off her belt, taking her money purse. The voices got further and further away. The hope inside her extinguished.

“Help,” She said weakly. A person moved into her vision, and she saw someone, a girl, kneel in front of her. She slipped her hand into Cleo’s hair and jerked her head back, getting blood on her face. Cleo looked at her, watching her raise a dagger. The figure pushed it into her neck, and the last thing Cleo ever felt was the cold blade parting her skin.

 

 

 

 

Serene didn’t go back to the tribe that night. She sat in a tree until the sun rose over the forest, trying not to look at the discarded body hidden in the hollow, fallen log behind her. She could see her pale, lifeless face in the gaps through the rotting wood.

The sun had cast a pink light over her before her hands stopped shaking. She’d spent the night in a state of constant turmoil, before shutting herself down and slipping away. She was jerked back by the rustling of feathers.

“Is that her?”  
“No,” Serene said, rolling her eyes. She was surprised with how strong her voice was, “I found another dead body and decided to watch over it all night. Didn’t want anything to happen to it.”  
Raven pulled off her Grimm mask, raising an eyebrow at her. She looked back at the body of the young woman.

“How did you do it?”  
“Chased her from the North-East path, lured her into a wire strung between the trees and cut her throat.” Serene answered hollowly. She knew Raven had been watching, she just wanted her to face the reality of what she had done.  
“Good work. Come on, let’s get back.”  
Serene frowned at her as she stood on the branch. “We’re just going to leave her there?”  
“Did you want to bury her?” Raven asked condescendingly.  
“Won’t it be suspicious if the villagers find a dead body? People were looking for her last night. Won’t it attract policemen or huntsmen?”  
“What are they going to do about it?” Raven asked rhetorically, opening a portal. “People die in bandit territory all the time.” She stepped through the warping passageway and Serene stood, stepping back to the tribe.

 

 

 

 

“So, she finally did it huh?”  
Serene glared over at Vernal, following Raven into her tent.

“The hunt was successful,” Raven confirmed. Serene got a few mild praises – the general consensus of the bandits being disbelief and congratulations – but she didn’t pay them any attention, just heading inside the tent. She sat with Raven who was making a pot of coffee. She poured Serene a cup, but the younger woman didn’t drink, instead she meandered around the room in an attempt to keep some distance. She felt sick, and the smell of the coffee made her stomach turn.

“How did you find it?”  
“I don’t know. How am I supposed to answer that? _‘It was super fun mom’_.” She finished sarcastically.

Raven raised an eyebrow, taking a sip from her cup. Vernal had stolen the set for her a few years ago. “It’s better when it’s hot.”  
Serene waited a moment before walking over and sitting opposite her mother. _It’s better when it’s hot._ Translation; _sit down and shut up_.

 

“You’re first direct kill is important, and we’ve left it late as it is,” Raven said, putting down her tea.

“Why can’t I just stick with stealth? I’m good at it.”  
“Because being stealthy isn’t always going to save you. You’re going to the academy to learn how to kill huntsmen; there’s no point in sending you if you can’t kill a single random villager.”  
“She didn’t do anything to us. I can kill in self-defence.”  
“That’s not good enough. Only the strong can survive in this world. The weak die so the strong can survive. Every time you kill someone, you’re deciding what side of that line you’re on.”  
“I know,” Serene said softly. She’d heard the spiel a hundred times and it hit her every time.

“You’re strong,” Raven said, leaning forward and meeting her eye. “I’m trying to prepare you, so you aren’t the one lying dead on the forest floor. Do you understand?”  
Serene nodded, the visual making her skin crawl. “Yes.”  
“Good. Go wash up; you have sparring with Vernal this afternoon.”  
Serene nodded and stood, leaving her rapidly cooling tea on the table, and her mother, with a headful of doubts in the tent.

 

 

Serene dived into the creek in her underwear, feeling the cold water burst around her. It woke her up and refreshed her. She broke the surface and pushed back her dark hair. She swam around for a while, floating in the water and slipping back into her fantasy.

_She lived alone in a sparse forest, in a wooden cabin. A real house rather than a small tent behind Raven’s. she got to do normal things like go to school and do shopping. She didn’t have a job. She got to read. There was no blood on her hands._

  
Snapping back to reality, Serene pushing herself under water, swimming as deep as she could before her lungs began to burn before shooting back up. Climbing onto the rock shore she grabbed her clothes, walking back to the water and began scrubbing with a bar of soap, trying to get the blood out. It wasn’t too bad; her clothes were mostly black, but it was the smell that got to her. She scrubbed until her hands were red and she hung it up to dry before diving back in.

 

Training with Vernal kicked her ass. It had been a lot easier before Raven had banned her from using her semblance.

“Oof!”  
Serene landed on her back, rolling over and grabbing the previously discarded dagger. She got to her feet and circled a smug Vernal. With her semblance Serene could take on almost anyone in the tribe, but Vernal was always so fast.

“Come on then,”

Serene burst forward, feigning a feign and taking out Vernal’s legs. Serene tried to pin her down but was kicked into a nearby crate, the wood cracking behind her. Vernal was on her in a second, but Serene jerked up, the blade slicing through the woman’s shirt and across her ribs.

“Shit!” Vernal cried, jumping back into a crouch and glaring at Serene. Serene threw the dagger before she could steady herself and it sliced through her arm.

“You little bitch!”  
“What’s going on?” Raven asked, walking over to the brawlers.

“She fucking stabbed me,” Vernal growled, glaring over at Serene as she climbed out of the crate.

“Really?” Raven seemed more impressed than anything. “It’s about time you landed a hit.” She turned to Vernal. “Go clean yourself up.”  
Vernal walked off and Raven came over to Serene, pulling her to her feet.

“I’m not apologising,” Serene said, glaring over at her mother’s pet.

“I don’t expect you too.” Raven pushed Serene’s hair out of her face, a look of pride on her face that warmed Serene’s chest. “Good job.”  
“Thank you.”

Raven walked off and Serene revelled in her mother’s rarely given pride, walking over to her tent.

She sat down on her bed roll and rifled through her bag. She hadn’t bothered unpacking properly, since they’d move camps eventually, so she sorted through the scattered clothes and pulled out her hairbrush and her pyjamas, heading back down to the river. A few others from the tribe were swimming and messing around, a few more were on the rocks cleaning their clothes. She settled down the creek behind a rock, stripping and jumping into the water. The other woman might be alright swimming with the men, but she wasn’t. At sixteen her body was starting to come in, and the looks and comments she received were making her uncomfortable.

After she washed herself, she got out, drying off and dressing in her shorts and long-sleeved grey sweatshirt that had belonged to her dad. She walked back to the others and sat down in front of the mirror that had been set up and brushed her long black hair. Her curls were more prominent when it was wet. Serene braided it over her shoulder and pushed back the strands that had fallen loose and walked back to the tribe and to her tent, lying down on her bed. Rolling over, she pulled a picture from under her pillow.

The picture was of her and her dad. He was crouched down beside her, one of her little arms over his shoulder and the other holding up the first fish she’d ever caught, giving a wide, toothy grin. She was six in the picture. Dieter Havoc died in a raid when she was twelve.

She wasn’t sure if she looked like her father, or if she was just desperate for any sign of him. She had his smile. At least she thought she had; it certainly wasn’t Raven’s.

Putting the picture back, Serene wandered if she’d be allowed to take the picture with her to Haven.


	2. Chapter 2

The picture was in Serene’s hand when she woke up. She thought that was odd, as she woke up at the other end of her bed. her foot was dangling over the edge and her blanket was over her face. She didn’t know how she did that.

It was still dark out, so she lit a lantern, sitting up and wrapping the blanket around herself. She wasn’t cold, but the warmth simulated human contact, something she longed for in the early, lonely hours.

Scratching her bird nest hair, she grabbed her hairbrush and started pulling at the knots. It was old and wooden; one of the few things in her possessions she personally hadn’t stolen, and the first – and only – gift she had ever been given by her mother.

As her long, choppy locks started to smooth, she pressed the button to illuminate her watch and checked the time. 5:04 am.

Putting the brush on the overturned crate substituting a nightstand, she looked around and mulled over what she would do that day. She had training with Jaron, and she promised Lain she’d go fishing with him before it got too cold. She’d help Heidi with dinner, and smoke with Ansa while she worked on her bike.

Getting out of bed, she pulled on dark green shorts, a black shirt and green boots, pulling her hair into a ponytail and a sleeveless hoodie. Jaron tended to pull her hair when they fought, it was easier just to have it out of the way.

The box at the end of her bed contained the food she had raided or shoplifted, and she started to go through it. She pulled out a bottle of water and pack of dried fruit, dropping them in her bag and picking up her fishing kit. As quietly as she could, she made her way through the camp, ignoring the night-time watchers.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Serene stopped, turning halfway towards the steps to Raven’s tent. Vernal sat there, because why wouldn’t she be at five thirty in the morning when she wasn’t scheduled to patrol.

“Don’t see how that’s any of your business.” Serene said blankly, not particularly wanting to start her day with this asshole.

“We don’t need you starting anything and drawing attention to us.”  
“Starting anything with who? The fish?” Serene asked, holding up her fishing rod.

“Just don’t do anything stupid.”  
“Piss off,” Serene scoffed, walking off with a mouth full of fruit.

 

On the shores of the river Serene started digging though the dirt for bait. She filled her little rusty bucket full of bugs and slid down the small decline to the river and up the slanted tree hanging over the water and taking a seat, hooking and baiting her line before throwing it into the black water.

Thunder clapped above her. It had been cloudy all week, but not a drop had fallen. Serene couldn’t help but feel relieved; rain tended to make her feel exhausted. There wasn’t a whole lot to do in a downpour when you lived in a tent.

The river was, for lack of a better word, serene. The only sound was nature; no bandits jeers, no shrill or dull cried of weapons banging together. No Vernal, no Raven.

It made it easier to slip away.

_The golden brown wooden cabin stood isolated in the woods. The days were pleasant, not too bright, with an occasionally rainy night to help lull her to sleep. Today was a good day. There were a few clouds in the sky, and she sat on the front porch in her swing chair, reading a book. Azure shores. It was her favourite book, the second in a series she didn’t have. There was a light breeze, so she didn’t have to swing the seat herself. She wore bright colours. Her clothes were always brighter in her fantasy. She wore a pink t-shirt and blue shorts. She didn’t own anything like that in the camp._

_She slipped into her fantasy, falling down the rabbit whole until she was in the story she knew by heart, landing on a perfect beach with white and gold sands and perfect blue and green waves. Despite never having been to a beach herself, she could almost feel the sand beneath her feet, the salty air in her face. She’d imagined the scene so many times it felt like a memory, something she could easily trace like a scar down her leg._

She was jolted out of her daydream but the tugging at her line. Pulling in slowly a few times before giving the line a yank, she reeled in a decent sized fish, a crooked grin spreading across her face as she pulled up her prize.

 _‘Nice catch Wisp!’_ She could hear her dad say, his voice clear as day as it rang in her head. She was suddenly overwhelmed with sadness. Looked at the dead fish on her line, she didn’t feel so happy anymore.

_‘Cheer up wisp; that’s a hell of a catch!’_

She gave a bit of a smile, getting up and climbing off the tree. She emptied the remaining bait into the earth and cleaned the fish before she left, washing her hands before pulling her hood up over her hair.

The sun started to rise red as she headed through the path to the camp, weaving her way through the awakening raiders to her own humble set-up behind Raven’s where they stored the dust and food crates.

She built a fire with the swiftness off a practise pyromaniac and cooked her fish and potatoes she’d traded some smokes for and herbs she’d picked on the way back. It smelt good, and she could see the vultures by the time it was ready.

“Have I told you how hot you are lately?” Ansa asked, sitting down beside her.

Serene gave a half laugh, half scoff, dishing out the meal. “Be careful of bones,” She warned, handing her the plate.

“I know the drill,” Ansa said, shovelling the fish into her mouth with abandon.

Serene rolled her eyes, grabbing her own plate and leaning against the log beside her.

“Did you hear about the attack up North?” Ansa asked, mashing her potatoes with a fork.

“No,” Serene said, “What happened?”  
“Apparently this huge riot broke out. A couple people died, and it attracted Grimm.”  
She didn’t need to finish the sentence. “Does Raven plan to raid?”  
“We were supposed to hit Xin Jin this weekend; we might as well hit a town where all the work is already done.”

“When do we leave?”  
“Raven’s heading up there now; she’s going to open a portal at exactly ten. You, Jaron, Shay, and a couple others are supposed to go.”  
“Fun,” Serene muttered, picking at her food.

“You gotta start grabbing your shit for school?”  
“Yep,” She sighed.

“You wanna talk about it?”  
“No.”  
“Thank fuck.”  
Serene snorted. “You mean you don’t want to be my personal therapist?”  
“Just repress it like an adult.” Ansa said, standing up and walking off. Serene chuckled, grabbing her dish and dropping it in the water boiling over the fire. She washed up quick and slipped into her tent, changing into all black and brushing her hair again, tying it into a braid. It fell to her waist, and she wandered if she should cut it. Probably not; she liked her hair too much. It was her only physical trait she took any effort to maintain. She pulled on her jacket and headed out. She looked around, making sure none of the scavengers at the camp were eyeing her tent.

Vernal was sat on a crate in the centre of the camp, watching the squabbling idiots below.

“Do you think it’ll be a good haul?” Asked Marius.  
“Probably; Grimm don’t break gold.” Shay replied with his creepy grin. Serene rolled her eyes, sitting up on a crate away from Vernal.

“Food and weapons are your priority.” Vernal snapped, messing with her weapon. “It’s a hunting village, so they’ll be loaded. No fucking around.”  
“We don’t know how long until the huntsmen arrive,” Serene added. The surprise of her speaking up made them listen, and the mindless chatter dying down to a few grumbles.

 

The portal opened, and with the proficiency they reserved for raids, the group was through, weapons raised as they took in their surroundings. Serene was last, coming in light with her gauntlets ready and on high alert. The dark and dirty camp disappeared the an even darker and desolate town. The dirt under her feet was replaced with cold cobblestone. It _clack_ ed under her boots as she made her way to where Raven was divvying up the groups.

“Shay, Midori, Ako, clear the street to the west,” She pointed. “Serene, scavenge the East.”  
With that, the group split up. Serene looked out, taking a moment to assess her job. The houses were crumbled and shattered, smoke emanating from several areas, mixing into the grey clouds.  As Midori led the group off, Serene made a running start, wanting it over with.

She cleared the first few houses, finding little of value. Apparently, Raven had given her the most boring neighbourhood in the entire crumbling village.

The last house in the line had a collapsed roof, and Serene had to concentrate, using her semblance to get inside and to the second story. Feeling drained, Serene retired her semblance for the day and kicked open the first door, turning her head as the door burst open, splinters flying. She walked inside, looking around the room. It was small, but more than she had ever had. She felt a pang of jealousy and longing for the clean, dry space. The bed was decent sized, and the light blanket looked comfortable. There was a half-packed suitcase in the middle of the room that had apparently been abandoned in its owners haste. Serene emptied it, shoving in the pillow before looking around for things to loot.

Several pictures and sketches were stuck on the wall beside the desk. She grabbed the pencil case and sketch book from the desk, before ransacking the drawers. She found several empty notebooks and dropped them in. Opening the closet, she quickly tried on a jacket. It was too small, so she dropped it back in. The boots fit, so she shoved them in the case. Turning back to the desk she knocked something over. Looking down, there was a blue jar at her feet, about the size of a one litre bottle. She knelt down and grabbed it, opening the top.

“Jackpot,” She muttered monotonously, putting the heavy jar into the suitcase. Checking the other rooms, she found some clothes that fit, some toiletries, a gun and dust case. Zipping up the case, she lugged it onto her back and managed to burn a hole out the back of the house and making her way to the main road. She couldn’t see anyone else, so she headed back to the courtyard they had arrived at and waited. Shay was looting a market stall nearby. There were two dead bodies, blood splattered along the grey stones.

“Finished your school shoppin’ huh?” Shay asked, walking over with a raggedy duffle bag of food.

Serene dropped the bag on a bench near the tree in the centre of the courtyard, sitting down beside it as she waited. Shay sat on the other end of the bench, eyeing her.

“What?” Serene snapped.

“Looking good girly,” He said, looking her up and down. Serene glared at him, her eyes flickering. His shirt caught on fire, and he jumped to his feet, trying to smack it out. Serene watched, bemused.

“You little bitch!”  
“I told you to stop doing that.”  
Serene looked up as Raven walked around her, ready to interfere if either made a go at the other.

“He pissed me off,” She said emotionlessly.

“Do you have enough?” Raven asked, kicking her bag lightly.

“I think so.” She nodded.

“The others are on their way back; we intercepted a radio call that the Huntsmen are on their way to clear out the village; they’ll be here within the hour.”  
Raven sent her through early, opening a portal near Vernal, who looked annoyed at being excluded.

The others dropped their weapons into the centre of the camp as Raven started assigning dust cartridges and food. One of the good things about being sent away for school was that she didn’t have to share her haul.

She left the bag in her tent, in no hurry to go through it, and changed yet again. Jaron was waiting outside when she emerged.

“About fucking time.” He said, jumping off the back platform of Raven’s tent and walking over. Serene rolled her eyes.   
“I’m so sorry to have inconvenienced you.” She said sarcastically, walking over to her cousin. Jaron stretched, his old, ripped shirt lifted, revealing his tanned and muscled stomach. Serene rolled her eyes again, knowing he looked for any excuse to show off his physic. She wandered if that was why all his shirts had holes in them.

Jaron kicked off his shoes, the only decent part of his outfit, and stepped into the invisible fighting ring. Serene dropped her gauntlets on a crate and picked up her staff, twirling it as she and Jaron circled each other.

Jaron struck first, as he always did, and Serene easily dodged his attacks until he grew impatient. He was getting better, but he was still too focused on the offensive stance.

A well-aimed swing sent him back, but he was in control enough to come back a second later. She held up the staff to block his blow but she had to dig her feet in to stop his blow from sending her into the spire’s behind her.

“You’re getting better,” Jaron said, dodging her hit. She sent the staff into his ribs, getting a pained grunt.

“Wish I could say the same.” Serene grinned, taking his legs out from under him. He sent his string – blue and shining – out to grab her foot. Serene jumped, but it wrapped around her left leg. She landed on her ass, sending the staff down on Jaron’s face.

“Fuck!” He cried, getting to his feet and spitting blood. Serene jumped to her feet, circling him once again.

“No way I’m letting a kid beat me,” He warned, sending out his string. Serene easily dodged it, lunging for a hit. He easily combated it, but she landed on her feet.

“You’d think you’d have used those four years to learn how not to fight like a headless worm.”

“You’re in for it kid.” Jaron sent out his strings, grabbing her wire. The strings – his semblance – didn’t cut like her weapon did, but they were certainly stronger, and her staff started to crack. She tugged it back, before letting go. Jaron didn’t react in time, and got a wooden pole to his face.

“Fuck!” He screamed, clutching his face and lashing out in the dirt. Serene burst out laughing, watching him convulse. She didn’t particularly enjoy watching people suffer. Except her friends. It was funny.

“I fucking hate you.” He moaned, sitting up. Blood was dribbling from his mouth, falling into the dirt from behind his hand. She saw the flash of his aura and he spat out the blood.

“Dude! I fucking live here!” She pointed over to her tent a few feet behind him.

“Tough shit,” He spat, getting to his feet.

“So I win?”  
“Fuck you.”  
Serene grinned, grabbing her staff. It was getting late in the afternoon, and the sun was coming out; it would be best to wash before the clouds came back.

The water was cold, and she could hear the other bathers further down complaining. She loved it; the frigid temperature cooled down her slightly overheated body and refreshed her. Breaking the surface, she took a deep breath and floated to the top. She could see her loose hair tickling her arms as the weak rays of sunshine landed on her face.

“Fore!”  
Water burst over her and she straightened up, shaking the water off her face. She splashed Heidi, who splashed her back.

“You’re a dickhead.” Serene said, shaking her face in a weak attempt to get the water off it.

Heidi laughed, splashing her again. The two continued to send water at each other until Heidi surrendered.

“Heard you kicked Jaron’s ass.” She said, spitting water out of her mouth.

“Sent my staff into his face,” Serene confirmed, bobbing up and down to try and grab the branches above her.

“Did you get a good haul?”  
“Yeah. Are you cooking tonight?” She asked, changing the subject.

“Yeah; Ansa did my patrol so I’m cooking for the week.”  
“Thank God.”  
“Yeah, she’s a terrible cook,” Heidi chuckled.   
“She’s so bad,” Serene finally grabbed a branch, sinking back into the water. She broke the stick into smaller parts and threw them down stream, hoping they would annoy the other swimmers. “At least she knows it and tries to get out of it,”  
“Yeah. I miss Yuna’s cooking.”  
“Me too. It’s shithouse she only cooks for the little kids,” Serene dunked herself under the water, emerging to a faceful of water.

“You’re fucking dead,” Serene chased Heidi back to the bank, grabbing her and shoving her under before she could reach the safety of the stony shore. As she let her up, Heidi held up her hands again.

“Okay, okay you win.”  
“Damn right I win,” Serene pushed herself back out to the deep black water.

Heidi threw her some soap and Serene washed off, cleaning her body and hair before getting out and getting dressed. She sat with Heidi on the grass as they dried their hair.

“So when do you leave for Haven?” Heidi asked, brushing her and her sister’s blue brush through her long, straight blonde hair. Serene was somewhat jealous; being a lot thinner, Heidi’s hair was much more manageable than her own.

“Early January I think.”

“Are you nervous?”  
“I don’t know. I’m not sure how I feel.”  
“Well it’ll be nice to get away for a while.”  
“I’m leaving so I can learn how to kill people Heidi,” Serene reminded her, pulling most of her hair back into a high ponytail.

“Try not to think of it like that. You’re learning how to protect the tribe. You won’t have to kill anyone if they don’t attack us first.”  
“You know that’s not what Raven wants. I’m too ‘soft’.”

“You hit your cousin in the face with a staff today.”  
“I didn’t kill him.”  
“It’s only a matter of time,”

Serene snorted, brushing her fringe.

“You’re fringe is getting long.” Heidi said, leaning over and brushing it out of her eyes.

“I need to get it cut.”  
“I can do it tonight if you want.”

Serene agreed and they headed back to camp. They parted ways, heading to their respective areas. Serene grabbed an oversized jacket, one of her dads, and sat in front of the fire, stoking it and pulling out the suitcase she’d stolen earlier. She looked around, making sure she was alone, and opened it. She started a mental inventory of what she had collected; a jacket, some jeans, some black and some green shoes, some jewellery she’d be able to pawn in the city, some sunglasses and a wallet. It was pretty, and had fifty lien in it. She pulled out the identification, looking it over before throwing it into the fire. She inspected the rest of the cards, throwing them in as she went. It looked like the woman who owned it went to the city a lot.

“Whatchya got there?” Heidi asked, walking over to her.

“A purse.” Serene said, holding a card up to examine it.

“Okay, sit up,” Heidi kicked her back lightly and Serene sat on the floor. Heidi sat behind her and started divvying up her hair to trim.

“Okay, talk to me.”  
“No.”  
“You’re gonna end up like Raven if you keep everything in.”  
“How the hell did you end up so fucking in touch with your feelings?” Serene asked, making a disgusted face.

“I had the only decent parent in this tribe.”  
“There are no decent people in this tribe.”  
“Never said she was a decent person, but she was a good parent. Head back.”  
Serene complied but didn’t start spilling her heart out. Heidi started to trim, chewing on whatever snack she had brought with her.

“So are you actually in the academy yet?”  
“Yeah, I got accepted last week; Raven set up a PO box in the city.”  
“Is that where you were last Friday?”  
“Yep.”

“Did you see the school?”  
“I saw a bit of it when I took the entrance exam,” Serene recalled the academy she had been at for a few hours. She’d done a very quick scope of the area before slipping away, eager to leave the unfamiliar area. Despite the anxiety of being alone in a new environment, the school had a somewhat calming effect to it. It felt (once again, for lack of a better word) serene.

Heidi moved around and started cutting her fringe. Serene closed her eyes and let her work, hoping they’d drop the subject.

Once she was done, Serene flicked her coat out a few tomes to get rid of the discarded hair.

“What are you gonna do about… everything,” Heidi gestured to all of her.

“What do you mean?”  
“I mean you look just like Raven. Won’t Lionheart think something’s up?”  
“Yeah, apparently Raven’s got something planned.” She shrugged, playing with her new fringe. “I suggested going blonde, but Raven got pissed and said she’d take care of it.”  
“I can’t imagine you as a blonde.” Heidi laughed, fixing up Serene’s hair.

“I know, it would be weird,” Serene agreed, running her hand through her hair. Heidi had taken a few inches, but other than that she could barely tell she’d done anything.

“Why would Raven care if you died your hair?”  
“I don’t know; she wants to control every aspect of me?” Serene guessed with false enthusiasm.

“I suppose I wouldn’t put it past her,” Heidi muttered. “What else is there?”  
“I suppose I’ll just have to cut it short,” Serene sighed. She didn’t want to, but she wouldn’t have much of a choice, not if her mother told her to do it.

“That’s not a lot.”  
“I’ll have to dress different.” Serene shrugged, sitting down and poking the fire with a stick. “Act different.”  
“Different how?” Heidi asked, sitting beside her.

“Dunno. I’ll have to be nicer.”  
“Like you were before?”  
Serene didn’t answer, just staring into the fire. It didn’t hurt her eyes; she wandered if that was because of her semblance.

“I wasn’t nice,” She said softly. “I was just louder.”

“Heidi!” Jaron called from beside Raven’s tent. “Come on; we’re hungry!”  
“I’m coming!” Heidi called back. “You gonna eat with us?”

Serene shook her head. “I’m not hungry.”  
“Okay. Come on over if you want to.”  
Serene nodded, still staring at the flickering flames as Heidi walked off to feed their hopeless friends, falling back into her daydreams.

 _Before_.

_Before. Before she went ‘soft’. Before she shut everyone out and herself in._

_Before she lost her dad._

_She woke up early, a few hours past midnight to see the elders trying to patch up Raven’s wounds. Someone had carelessly and tactlessly informed her that Dieter was dead, that he’d attacked Raven on their way back from the raid on the tiny settlement._

_Dieter vanished from the camp that night. No one mentioned his name; as though he never existed, wiped from history and their minds._

_She didn’t want to believe it. How could her dad, who had protected her, had taught her to play and fight, who had made sure she could read and swim, do something as stupid, as suicidal as try to kill Raven. She was the Maiden; she was trained as a huntress! It was just stupid. She didn’t believe. But it didn’t matter. She was well and truly alone now, clinging to the memory of her beloved dad as everyone else left him behind._

 

 

 

The sketchbook was half filled with beautiful art. Serene felt guilty for taking it, but she was getting used to that.

She sat, leaning back against her log as she flicked through the pages. It was dark now, and the fire cast a flickering light that didn’t quite do the artwork justice. The girl seemed to like drawing scenery and people; page after page revealed pictures of who she assumed were villagers, scenes of the marketplace, people relaxing in the streets. Most of the sketches of people had names, but they meant nothing to Serene.

As she turned the pages, careful not to smear or tear, her guilt grew more and more intense. It was almost like she was reading this strangers diary. It might not mean anything to her, but to a girl who had just had her town and possibly people she cared about taken from her, it just felt like rubbing salt and dirt into her wound.

Serene wandered if she was still alive.

The pages turned blank and she flicked through to the end. The white pages yielded no more glimpses into the simple life of the Mistrali village girl, so she closed it, dropping it on the log beside her. She stared into the fire for who knew how long before a yawn jolted her back to reality. She rubbed her tired eyes, standing and heading to bed. she said goodnight to her dad and curled up, still wearing his jacket, and finally let herself sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

 

“Your handwriting is really messy,”

Serene looked up at the girl sitting beside her, staring blankly. “What?”  
“You’re handwriting,” She gestured to Serene’s paperwork.

“… So?”  
“The administrator might not be able to read it.”  
Serene wasn’t sure what an administrator was. She looked down at her sheet. “It’s not that bad,” She muttered. “It’s just for the support package.”  
The girl shrugged. “It’ll probably be fine,” She held out her hand. “I’m Jazz.”  
Serene shook her hand. “Sera.”  
“You from around here?”  
“I’m kinda… from everywhere.” She said vaguely. “I travel a lot.”  
“Cool,” Jaz smiled, turning back to her paperwork. Serene finished hers and turned it in at the office. She stood there for a few minutes as the lady processed it and handed her a plain, standard backpack. Serene took it and headed out the door as more students filed in. she was glad she got a jump on the rush; she didn’t think she could handle small talk.

 

The tour of the school was given by a thin woman dressed in silver and black. Serene heard someone joke about her being a robot from Atlas, but it wasn’t very funny.

The professor explained the contents of their starter pack, including their scroll, and that their teams were selected based on their entrance exams. Serene vaguely remembered the people she had encountered in the exam but didn’t see any of them in her group.

Afterwards, Serene found the room assignment in the file in her bag and a map on the wall near the classrooms. She followed it to the back of the school, seeing her luggage piled outside the door with a few other bags she assumed belonged to her teammates. Unlocking the door with her scroll she noticed that no one else was there yet, and she claimed the bed near the back-right window.

She wasn’t sure how long she’d been lying there before she heard the other people arriving.

Three other girls piled into the room, all carrying varying amounts of luggage from outside.

“Hello again!” Called the girl who told Serene her writing sucked. Serene bit back a groan.

“Hi,”  
“So this is team JSMN!” She smiled, looking at the other two teammates who were settling in. “Should we do introduction?”  
“You’re the leader,” Serene muttered, sitting up.

“Okay, well I’m Jazz Lapis.” She said cheerfully. Serene tried not to roll her eyes; she was gonna be a handful.

“I’m Nyla,” the girl to Jazz’s right said in a soft voice. Her hair was a gradient of red to blue with a heavy fringe, and a sweater and trousers matching her hair, “Simian.”  
“Maizie,” Said the last girl. She was a lion faunus, her ears sticking out through thick dark golden blonde hair, her gold jewellery and eyeliner contrasting beautifully with her dark skin.

“Sera,” Serene introduced herself under the fake name, raising her hand slightly in a half-hearted wave. It was actually less than half hearted. Quarter hearted, probably.

 

“Are you guys all from Mistral?” Jazz asked, pulling her trunk up onto her bed and opening it.

“Atlas, actually,” Nyla said, kneeling down to open her suitcase and pull out her clothes.

“Vacuo,” Maizie said shortly, and Serene noticed the wary gaze she gave her teammate. A thought occurred to Serene.

“Hey, don’t we have partners?”  
“Oh!” Jazz scrambled for her bag, pulling out the file they’d been given. “Yes. We’re partners and you guys are partners.” She smiled, turning to Nyla and Maizie.  
“Yay,” Serene muttered under her breath.

Nyla smiled and turned back to her task of putting her clothes into her drawer extremely neatly, item by item. It was calming in a way. Like a visual ASMR.

Serene didn’t realise she was staring until Jazz clapped her hands.

“So, since we don’t have an orientation thing like Beacon or Vacuo, why don’t we do something to get to know each other?”  
“Okay,” Nyla said readily. “Like what?”  
“We’ve got four years to get to know each other,” Serene said, shoving her clothes into her draw haphazardly and kicking her other boots under the top of her bed.

“Well our training starts tomorrow, so I think we should know each other at least a bit.” Said Jazz.  
“Are you going to be like this the whole time?” Serene asked, sitting on her bed.  
“Probably.”  
“I appreciate your honesty. Proceed.”  
Jazz quizzed them on their life story and Serene gave her memorised bullshit answers, most of her attention on going through her paperwork and trying to figure out how to work a scroll.

“You look like my dad,” Maizie said, sitting on the end of her bed. “Give it here,”

Serene passed over the scroll, watching Maizie finish configuring it and connecting it to the wifi.

“Here, just put in your fingerprint and you’ll be set.” Maizie handed it back and picked up Serene’s paperwork.

“Hey why don’t we just go through each other’s paperwork.” Maizie suggested.

“I don’t think knowing my student login password will make us feel more comfortable putting our lives in each other’s hands,” Jazz said as she put her toiletries in a small pink basket.

“What if it’s like, ‘faunusSuck’ or something?”

“She’s got a point,” Serene backed her up with false sobriety. Jazz frowned at her, both confused and concerned.

“I think our passwords are randomly generated,” Nyla said, grabbing her own paperwork from the file on her desk.  
“Probably,” Maizie agreed, “unless Sera is just really passionate about the number five and the colour purple,”  
Sera took her file from her and checked her password. ‘ _LilacLavender 5555’_

“Creative,” She muttered. “What’s yours?”  
Maizie grabbed her old manila folder and flipped to the third page. “HonoluluBlue8769. Nice.”  
Serene laughed, because she was kinda immature and grabbed the bag provided, pulling out the rest of her started kit. She had a basic pencil case, a few notebooks and two textbooks; one for history and one for Grimm studies. She organised them on her desk and the shelf above it.

The rest of the afternoon passed mostly in silence until their scrolls buzzed, alerting them that the hall was opened for dinner.

“Oh thank God,” Maizie moaned, “I could eat a horse.” She hurried out the door, appearing again a moment later.

“Do any of you know how to get to the hall from here?”

The four girls look at each other blankly, before they all dove for their bags for their maps.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains mentions of drug abuse but it's very vague.

When Raven told Serene she was going to Haven to learn how to kill huntsmen, she didn’t mention how boring it was going to be. It had been four whole weeks, and she hadn’t killed anyone; not for lack of potential targets. Teenagers were annoying. She knew this, growing up with the unsupervised, substance abusing, violent crowd she called her friends, but the hundreds of teens (and young adults) constantly surrounding her at the academy and the nearby town grinded her nerves quickly.

She’d gone into town with her teammates the previous weekend, but as her first month of education came to a close, she found herself with an empty white container and venturing into the city.

Stealing the pills had been easy enough with her honed pick pocketing skills, and she’d quickly adapted to acting normal in the market environment.

There was a waterfall not far from the academy with a cove behind it. Serene had discovered it one night when she was snooping around in an insomnia driven haze and had taken to hanging out there when everything got too much. It was hard to reach without her weapons, but she wasn’t one to let her personal safety factor into her desire to get high.

She settled in and let the pills numb her to the world. She felt light and easy and let herself relax to the sound of the raging waterfall. She pulled off the choker she’d chosen to wear, hiding the thin, pale scar on her neck.

Raven had told her to stay clean while on her assignment. Not because she cared about her wellbeing – if she had she would have stepped in years ago when Serene started – she just didn’t want her blowing this. Serene tried, but it was all too much, and she needed to relax.

She forgot to breath for a minute, but she did that sober. Sitting up quickly, Serene gasped for air. After her heart stopped racing, she looked around the cave. The pills had mostly worn off and she needed to get back to school before her teammates started texting her.

She was still really bad at texting.

 

Serene and Maizie were seeing who could eat the most rice with chopsticks when Jazz appeared at the head of the table, her dirty blonde hair in a high ponytail and her uniform traded in for her usually pink and green shirt and jeans. She pushed back the rice bowl and placed a thin folder in between them.

“We were eating that!” Serene cried around a mouthful of fried rice. They’d abandoned the (hilarious) endeavour to balance clumps on their chopsticks and instead had begun to use them to shovel the food into their mouths.

“Do you guys know what this is?” She asked, gesturing to the white folder.   
“My prize for winning our competition?” Maizie asked.

“Bitch I’m a whole bowl ahead of you!” Serene mumbled and held up the empty porcelain bowl discarded by her elbow. She was really having trouble swallowing that last mouthful.

“These,” Jazz picked the folder up and held it against her chest, presenting it majestically, “are our request sheets to go to Beacon for this year’s Vytal festival!”  
“Already?” Nyla asked, shuffling closer from the other end of the table where she’d moved to avoid the off-putting contest. “Don’t we have another few months before we have to go?”  
“Yes, but we only have a few weeks left before we’re allowed to go. The sooner we get our paperwork in the better our rooms are and if we sign up for the tournament we get to take our qualifiers early.”  
“Woah, aren’t you getting a little ahead of yourself?” Maizie asked. “We haven’t even spoken about going to Beacon, let alone actually competing in the tournament.”  
“Do you guys not want to?” Jazz asked, quickly deflated at her teammates lack of enthusiasm.

“Well we should talk about it before we make any decisions.” Nyla said, trying not to completely knock her idea, “we’ve got plenty of time to decide.”  
“No we don’t! Sun Wukong is already handed his in! And he spends all of history drawing things on Neptune’s face when he falls asleep.”

“We really shouldn’t have theory after combat class,” Serene muttered, reaching for the rice bowl.

“So,” Nyla started, moving the bowl out of her reach, not moving her attention from Jazz, “What’s the latest we can hand it in?”  
“Right before the qualifiers, but I really want to see more of the festival! This might be our only chance to see Vale together.” Jazz moved around Serene and sat on her other side, opposite Nyla.  
“Well the rest of Sun’s team isn’t going straight away, right?”  
“But this is our first year, we should attend as a team.”   
“When do you two want to do?” Nyla asked, turning to Serene and Maizie.

“I don’t care,” Maizie shrugged, “But I’m not going alone; Vale sucks.”  
“It’s not that bad,” Said Jazz.

“My cousin got stabbed there last year.”  
“Yikes,” mumbled Serene around a mouthful of toast. Jazz smacked her arm, mortified at the cavalier comment.

“What about at the end of the first semester?” Nyla asked, looking through Jazz’s folder. “We can look around and get settled in before the qualifiers.”  
“Fine with me,” Maizie agreed.

“Sera?”  
“Sure,” She shrugged.

“Great!” Jazz smiled, snatching back the folder and pulling out several pieces of paper and distributing them among the other three. “Fill these out and we can go over the rest later.”  
with that she stood, leaving the table and heading out of the hall.  
“Aren’t you gonna have any lunch?” Maizie called after her, but she didn’t hear. Maize grabbed the plate Nyla had made up for her and started eating.

 

 

Serene sat under the waterfall the next weekend. It was late at night and hopefully none of her teammates would notice her absence.

She awaited Raven, playing the game Maizie had downloaded for her on her scroll, killing rabid bunnies.

The portal opened in front of her at exactly midnight and Serene stashed the scroll, quickly getting to her feet.

“How are you going?” Raven asked, removing her mask. Why she was wearing it in the first place, Serene didn’t know.

“Fine; no one suspects anything. Everything is fine.”  
Raven sat on one of the vaguely chair shaped rocks, putting her mask down beside her. “No one has questioned your identity?”   
“Nope. Apparently they’re all super respectful of tragic pasts around here.”  
“Good, try to keep it that way.”  
“Will do. Also my leader wants us to go to Beacon for the Vytal festival. I just… thought I should run that by you.”  
“Fine.”  
“Really?” Serene was kind of surprised there was no push back.   
“Not going will be suspicious.”  
“Cool. So, should I use my semblance in the tournament or ke-”

“You won’t be participating in the tournament.” Raven cut her off, standing up and picking up her mask.

“What? Won’t that draw attention?”  
“Not as much as having your face and fighting broadcast to the world.”  
Serene opened her mouth to argue but knew better. “Right. Okay, um… I guess not a lot of first years will be competing anyway.”  
“Just handle it.”

“Of course.”

Raven gave her a look, looking her up and down. “How is your team?”  
Serene was surprised, but quickly composed herself. “Uh, fine, I guess. They’re nice.”  
“Don’t get attached.” Raven reminded her sternly, pulling out her sword. Serene felt her breath hitch slightly, and some part of her hoped the warning at the same time as her preparing to open a portal was not a coincidence.

But she wasn’t stupid.

 

The portal glowed red and black in the dark, and she turned back to Serene, who felt the naïve hope that she might give her some words of encouragement or even just a ‘goodnight’.

“Don’t fuck this up,” She warned in a deadly serious tone, and Serene nodded, looking at the ground until the portal closed and the cave fell into darkness.

 

 

 

The day had been absolutely scorching that day in Mistral, so as soon as their duties were finished Serene’s group filed down to the river. Were they still her group if she wasn’t there?

Ansa was sharpening her Karambit’s, watching Jaron ‘wrestle’ with some other boys in the water. They were playing rough, but they always did. She probably had more scars and injuries from her best friends than in real fights.

Heidi was mending their laundry in exchange for taking her patrols, and Ansa hoped she wouldn’t try to talk to her.

It wasn’t that she didn’t like Heidi, it was just that the girl was soft and would probably be dead in the near future. No point in getting attached.

“What does Jaron do to his shirts?” Heidi asked, sewing up the tear in the older boy’s shirt.

“Do you really want to know?”   
Heidi looked up, thinking for a moment, “No.”

A few minutes passed, the only sound was the _‘shing’_ of Ansa’s whetstone and the cries of the boys Jaron was drowning.   
“How do you think she’s going?”  
“What?”  
“Serene.” Heidi clarified, “How do you think she’s doing?”  
“She’ll be fine.”  
“You think?”  
“No, I don’t think. I don’t think about anything ever.”  
Heidi gave her the same tired look she gave her every time she said something weird.

“I’m still surprised Raven let her go,” Heidi said, turning back to her work.

“Why? She’s not exactly protective,” Ansa said distractedly, running her finger over the blade and over the edge, feeling the sharpness.

“Well attending Beacon was what led her brother to leave so-”

Heidi jumped, cut off as Ansa’s dagger impaled into the tree behind her, right beside her head.

“Don’t,” Ansa said, her voice dangerously calm. “Do _not_ mention Him. You wanna fucking die?”  
Heidi stared at her, her shock turning to anger. “What the fuck?!” She gestured wildly to the dagger. Ansa rolled her eyes; Heidi was never good at playing rough.

“That’s nothing compared to what Raven will do if she hears you talking about Him. She’s killed for less.”

Heidi glared at her, pulling the dagger out – a difficult feat, Ansa really had it in there – and tossed it back to her. Ansa caught the dagger, a practise that had left her with a collection of scars across her palm and fingers.   
Ansa picked up her whetstone and resumed her rhythmic sharpening.

“Besides,” She said after a moment, her voice low and detached, like she was simply musing to herself. She rested her elbow on her knee and turned the dagger slowly, watching the light gleam off its silver blade, “she won’t have anything keeping her there for long.”


	5. Chapter 5

 

 

“What do you mean you don’t want to try out for the tournament?” Jazz asked, devastated. Serene rolled her eyes, weaving through the other people in the marketplace. Her teammates put way too much emphasis on team work.

“I just think we should wait until the next one. What are the odds we’re even going to make it past the team round?”  
“She’s not wrong,” Maizie said, her mouth full of candy.

“Only nineteen percent of first years make it past the team rounds.” Nyla added, running his hand over the scarves at the stall they had stopped in front of. “And we’ll still have our third year to try again,”

“And I don’t really feel like getting my ass kicked in front of the world.”   
“It can’t hurt to try,” Jazz pleaded.

“Actually, it could _really_ hurt to try,” Maizie countered, rubbing her thigh from where Serene had accidently hit her with her staff in training. “we’re not exactly cohesive.”

“But the next one is in Atlas,” Jazz whined, and pouted, “It’s going to be so cold,”

“We’ll be a lot more prepared,” Maizie pointed out, digging through her pick’n’mix bag.   
Serene felt a dash of annoyance, pretty sure Raven wouldn’t be okay with her participating next time either. She’d have to break an arm or something. Maybe even her own if it came to it.

“So we’re not competing?” Jazz concluded.

“Sorry,” Nyla put his hand on her shoulder sympathetically. Jazz pouted sadly.

“Come on,” Maizie said, throwing an arm around her shoulder, “let’s buy some hats.”

They made their way half way through the marketplace before they ran into another team.

“Hey ladies,” Neptune grinned, appearing with Sun. He noticed Nyla’s short hair and the more masculine clothing, “And gentleman.”  
Nyla gave a small, grateful smile.

“We’ve been looking for you guys,” Sun said. “Neptune’s having a huge house party this weekend; you guys should come.”  
“A party?” Jazz asked. “Why?”  
“Sun’s heading off to Beacon soon,” Neptune explained, “we gotta send my bro off with a bang!”  
“Who’s going?” Maizie asked.   
“Pretty much everyone in our year, a couple of older teams.” Sun answered.

“My parents are out of town and my brothers will probably stay in their rooms or not be there.” Neptune added.

“Sounds like fun.” Maizie shrugged.  
“So you’ll come?” Neptune asked.

“Hell yeah.”

“I suppose we could stop by,” Nyla added.

“I mean… I guess,” Jazz relented, crossing her arms over her chest. It was a day of defeats for her.  
“Sure,” Serene agreed.

“Cool! We’ll see you then; I’ll shoot you guys the address.”  
They went their separate ways and JSMN headed back to their dorm, deciding Jazz had been through enough for the day.

 

 

 

The next Saturday morning Nyla was tidying Jazz’s tight but messy curls and wearing one of Jazz’s nice hats. Serene sat on her bed with her legs crossed wearing Jazz’s grey trilby, sucking on a lollipop with her own pick’n’mix bag in front of her. It was much smaller than Maizie’s; Serene hadn’t been comfortable getting more after Maizie offered to pay, but not uncomfortable enough not to . She was reading her History book, absolutely fascinated. She didn’t know why so many people complained about their theory work, she was entranced.

“What are you guys wearing to the party?” Jazz asked, looking at her reflection in her hand mirror.

“Something casual,” Maizie answered, “I think Neptune’s less ‘tea party’ and more ‘frat party’. Are you guys drinking?”  
“What? No.” Jazz said, scandalised by the suggestion. “We’re underage.”  
“Barely,” Maizie rolled her eyes.

Serene looked up, silently between the two, interested to see how the conversation would play out when it wasn’t her horrible behaviour mortifying her partner.

“We can’t drink. We could get kicked out of school.” Jazz pointed out.

“They’re not going to kick us out for getting drunk on the weekend.” Maizie rolled her eyes. “Do you know how many fucked up kids are future huntsmen and huntresses? They throw out everyone with a vice and they’ll go out of business.”  
“The drinking age is eighteen here,” Nyla said slowly.

“And I’m eighteen in a few weeks. Sera?”  
“A couple of months,” She shrugged. “But I’ve got no problem drinking.”  
“Great, cus I do not want to be making an ass out of myself alone.” She turned to Jazz. “Can I borrow your glitter?”  
Serene’s attention jerked back up to the trio before her. “Why do you have glitter?” She asked, absolutely bewildered.

“For makeup.” Jazz said defensively. Serene was still confused, and slunk over to Maizie’s part of the room, watching her do her hair and then makeup, putting the glitter on her eyelids. She did some elaborate work and finished with the mascara to her already gorgeous eyelashes.

“You ever do your makeup?” Maizie asked.

“Nope.” Serene shrugged. She appreciated the beauty and intricacies of the theatre makeup, but she wouldn’t even know where to start.

“Want me to do it for tonight?”  
Serene frowned. “I don’t have any stuff.”  
“Well you’re probably the same shade as Nyla,” Maizie gripped her chin loosely, turning her head and examining her face as though she’d never seen her before. Serene flinched minutely before freezing until Maizie let go of her face

“Oh! Do you want to borrow some makeup?” Nyla asked excitedly, jumping up from Jazz’s bed and running over to her bed, grabbing a case from under her bed.

“It’s not a big… deal,” Serene trailed off, looking at the thick, suitcase sized case. Nyla opened it, revealing the rows of eyeshadow, highlighter, and lip gloss and the well organised tubes and pencils at the bottom.

“That’s… a lot of makeup.”

“Yeah, I like to experiment a lot.” Nyla shrugged. “You can borrow anything; all the brushes are clean, and the pencils are freshly sharpened.”  
“Why do you have so many pencils in your makeup case?” Serene asked, pulling out the plastic cases containing two dozen or so various pencils.

“Lipliner, eyeliner, eyebrow, face art etcetera.” Nyla explained. “Do you have a particular look you want?”  
Maizie leaned over the back of her chair, smiling knowingly. “You’ve been waiting for this moment since you got here haven’t you?”

Nyla smiled sheepishly. “I have six siblings and we’re all theatre kids; coming here alone was like going cold turkey.”  
Serene let Nyla and Maizie play fairy godmother – a small price to pay so they wouldn’t annoy her –  as Jazz went through her meagre clothing, declaring she had nothing to wear.  
“What’s wrong with my clothes?” Serene asked.

“It’s just gonna be kind of anti-climactic after the makeup. Your face is so pretty, and your clothes are all so… black.”  
“It goes with her smoky eyes,” Maizie said, painstakingly doing Serene’s mascara.

“I probably have something you can wear.”  
“Dude, she’s a twig and like, half a foot taller than you.”

“She is not!” Jazz said. “We’re pretty much the same height.”  
“That’s just your hair.”  
Jazz frowned, putting her hand on her head and pushing the curls down.

“I might have something,” Nyla offered, going to her drawers. “On a scale of one to ten how revealing are you comfortable going?”  
“Slut me up.” Serene said enthusiastically. Maizie and Jazz laughed.

Nyla carefully sorted through her clothes, pulling out some black raw hemmed high waisted jean shorts and a top that was little more than a bra with several useless straps and a see-through crop top.

“Try this,” She handed it to Serene, who stripped and pulled on the clothes. Jazz helped her adjust the straps oh the top and held the mirror up.

“Wow, I didn’t think you’d own anything so… slutty.” Maizie said, appraising Serene’s outfit. “I’m impressed.”  
“Uh… thanks. I think.” Nyla frowned. “Okay, now we need to do your hair. The whole ‘purposely messy’ thing you got going is hot, but it needs some refining.”

Nyla tidied the curls in her feathery shoulder length hair, putting a silver crescent moon pin to keep her fringe out of her face and pulled her to her feet.

“Done!”  
Serene looked at herself in the mirror on the back of the door. She barely recognised herself in the nice, expensive clothing with a face full of bewitching makeup and her hair all pretty. She felt like a different person.

“Do you like it?” Maizie asked.

“Yeah,” Serene said softly, before clearing her throat. “Yeah, it looks good. Thanks. You guys are really good at this,”  
“You’re a great barbie doll,” Jazz joked.

Serene’s smile faltered slightly as the others quickly finished getting ready. Jazz went in a pink jumpsuit, Nyla in a short, form fitting dress and Maizie in shorts and a blue and gold loose silk singlet, a headband made out of the same material holding her hair out of her face.

 They headed out as the sun began to sink into the mountains, using Maizie’s fake ID to grab a few drinks and grabbing a snack.

All through the walk Jazz’s words niggled at Serene. _Barbie doll_. They’d just played dress up; why was it bothering her so much?

Trying to ignore it, she weaved through the city silently, trying to focus on the party.

 

 

 

“You guys made it!” Sun called as they walked through the front gate. He was hanging from a tree in the front yard, having just finished hanging fairy lights. “Come on, I’ll give you a tour.”

Neptune’s house was a lot bigger than they had expected; three stories with a huge yard, the backyard at the top of a slight slope that led to a waterfall and a drop just beyond the railing at the bottom of the garden. Sun took them around the house and into the back door. The building was much more modern than most of the other buildings they had passed.

“Pretty cool huh?” Sun asked, walking them into the open plan first floor, gesturing around them to the smooth white and glass walls. Serene didn’t think she’d be comfortable with so many see through walls, but she had grown up in a tent, so what did she know.

“Are we the first ones here?” Nyla asked.   
“Nah; the rest of our team and a couple others are upstairs playing video games. The TV down here isn’t working yet. Neptune’s brother Jupiter accidently blew it up, so if you wanna see drunk idiots playing guitar hero you gotta head upstairs.”  
“Cool.” Maizie nodded.

Sun led the way upstairs, and the girls watched the boys play video games before Maizie joined in and thrashed them.   
  
Serene went downstairs with Nyla to get another drink after she and Maizie had peer pressured her into it, and was surprised at how many people had arrived. Music was playing and the other students were drinking, dancing and talking loudly. She weaved her way through the crowd and into the kitchen, grabbing the first bottle of alcohol she saw in the fridge and popped off the top.

“Neptune’s folks got some fancy shit,” Serene muttered, filling Nyla’s cup.

“What is it?”  
“Amarula. Trust me you’ll like it.” Serene dropped her cup into the bin and led her back upstairs with the bottle.

 

 

 

 

She would say it was Maizie’s idea, but Serene had done nothing to stop it. She may have encouraged her slightly. A bit. A lot. Okay, it was her idea.

“This is stupid!” Jazz called.

“If Neptune’s parents didn’t want us jumping off the balcony into the pool they wouldn’t have built the house so the balcony falls right over the pool!” Maizie called back. Serene was already over the other side of the railing outside Neptune’s room at the top of the house, and Maizie threw off her other shoe and joined her.

“Come on, before we’re old!” Scarlet called from below on the other side of the pool with the small crowd. It was dark out now, but the lights in and around the pool lit up their target in a multicoloured glow.

Serene and Mazie glanced at each other before propelling forward, falling the three stories into the deep end, landing dangerously close to the end with a large splash that threw several gallons of water out onto the smooth cement around it.

Serene extended her legs and shot to the top of the pool, breaking through the surface to the sound of drunken cheers. She looked around for Maizie, seeing her appear a moment later, pulling off her headband where it had come loose.

Maizie laughed, wiping the water out of her eyes. “That was great! Let’s go again!”  
They climbed out of the pool, but only managed to jump one more time before they were too tired and drunk to make the ascent to the top story. They ended up just floating around in the cool water with a few other students they didn’t know and Sun and Sage, avoiding the occasional others dropping from the balcony.

“Why is the water so cold?” Maizie asked, cupping her hands and quickly clapping them together, and trying to squirt the water out.

“To keep the drunk people out,” Sun answered, before disappearing below the water again.

“Oh,” Serene dunked under water. She missed swimming. The pool was a lot nicer than the river. Once she felt the painful burn in her lungs she shot to the top again, gasping for air.

“Don’t forget to breath!” Maizie called, amidst a sudden splash war with scarlet.

Serene was about to reply when a splash behind her sent a small wave over her head.

She turned around, bobbing with the wave until the figure appeared through the waves and foam.

“Hey!” Serene smiled, swimming over to Nyla.

“That,” Nyla said, spitting out the water in her mouth, “was fun,”  
“I can’t believe you jumped from the balcony in that dress.” Serene laughed.

“And heels,”  
Serene laughed so hard she barely stayed afloat.

 

Maizie and Serene and – with a lot of help from her teammates and Sun – Nyla, got out of the pool, claiming a towel each from the pile someone had dropped on one of the beds. They found Jazz sitting on the L shaped lounge inside, eating pizza and drawing on her legs with some colourful markers.

 “Hey!” Their team leader smiled when she saw them, apparently having long forgone her apprehension at underage drinking. “Where have you guys been?”  
“We jumped from the balcony.” Maizie giggled, falling onto the lounge beside her. Serene sat on her other side and Nyla fell into the corner seat, cuddling up in her big fluffy towel.

“That was fun.” Serene smiled, “This is great!”  
“I know!” Jazz said enthusiastically, grabbing her arm and leaning against her. “We should go to parties all the time,”  
Serene chuckled, “I don’t know if you could handle it. How much have you had to drink?”  
“Dunno,” She said, sounding both surprised and perplexed. “But I have like,” She opened her handbag, revealing the stacks of red solo cups inside, “Lots of cups in here.”  
Maizie burst out laughing. “Did you just… steal those?”  
“I think so. I don’t remember!”   
Serene rested her head against the back of the lounge, sinking into it, still laughing. After a minute she got control of her breathing, wiping away the happy tears slipping down her cheek.

“Man, is this what school is like? This is awesome. Why would anyone not want to do this?”  
“’s lots of fun,” Jazz agreed certainly, drawing on her knee with a bright pink marker.

“What are you drawing?” Nyla asked.

“Flowers,” Jazz said, stretching out her leg. Serene could probably record the progress of her inebriation with the quality of the doodles along her russet brown skin.

“Can I draw something?” Maizie asked.

“Oh! Draw on me!” Nyla volunteered. Serene and Jazz switched places and they each took a marker, drawing on their partners.

Serene didn’t remember much after that, probably because they started drinking again, but when she woke up, she had her head on Maizie’s stomach who had commandeered the corner seat, With Jazz hugging her legs and Nyla at the other end of Maizie’s part of the lounge, her feet tucked under her friends butt.

Blinking against the harsh light coming in from the stupid glass walls she looked around the room, ignoring the bad taste in her mouth.

There were about a dozen kids passed out in the room, on the other lounges and a few others with a pillow or jacket on the floor.

 

Untangling herself from the mess of limbs she was as quiet as possible when she fell onto the floor. She crawled away before getting up, stumbling slightly. Her vision was blurred, and the world was moving.

“You’re alive.”  
Serene rubbed her eyes, stumbling against the kitchen island. Sun was on the other side, eating a banana with his tale. Serene squinted at him.

“Where’s your shirt?” She asked.

“I think it’s in the pool.” He said, chewing thoughtfully. “I can’t remember having it after that.”  
“Hm. Weren’t there more people?”  
“Yeah people went home or crashed upstairs. A lot of Neptune’s friends live around here.”  
“Oh,” Serene looked in the fridge, her stomach turning at the sight of all the leftover drinks. She grabbed a bottle of what she hoped was water and climbed onto a stool, leaning against the cool marble of the island.

“Hangover?” Sun asked.   
“Just… really warm.” She muttered.

“Go jump in the pool.”  
Serene scoffed, giving a breathy laugh. “I’m good,” She opened the bottle and took a tentative sip.  
“How are you gonna clean this place up?” Serene asked, looking around at the scattered food and cans.

“Jupiter has a cleaning guy on speed dial. He’ll be here in like an hour, so you guys might wanna scram before Neptune does the rounds with his blowhorn to wake everyone up.”  
“Thanks for the heads up.” Serene slipped off the stool and shuffled back to the lounge. She opened the bottle again and poured the frosty water over her teammates.

Maizie and Jazz screamed, jerking and scrambling away. Nyla squealed and fell off the lounge.

“Come on, we gotta take off.” Serene said before yawning.

“No,” Maizie moaned, shoving her face into a pillow.

“Yes.”  
“Why is it so bright in here?” Jazz whined, sitting up and hiding her face in her hands. “It’s stupid.”  
“Take it up with the sun. Come on, I want food.”  
Jazz looked up at her, blinking the sleep out of her eyes. “You look really nice.”  
Serene blinked dumbly at her. “What?”  
“Your face looks really pretty,” She said. “Your makeup is still all there.”  
“Really?” Serene pulled her scroll out of her shoe and checked her appearance. Her hair was its usual mess, but her makeup was mostly still intact.

“Wow.”  
“That’s some top-quality shit Nyla,” Maizie said, leaning back against the lounge. “Hmm. Food sounds good.”  
“You’re both sick,” Nyla moaned. “Where’s my bag?”

“Here,” Jazz pulled the smaller gray bag out of her own larger handbag.

“Oh. Thanks.”

“Did I have a hat?” Jazz asked, looking around.   
“No,” Serene said, pulling on her boots. “You said it would ruin your hair.”  
“Oh yeah.”   
Maizie grabbed her bag and stood up, stretching. She looked Serene up and down.   
“You know, we really should have thought about the next morning when we got dressed.”  
“You two look fine,” Nyla pouted.

“And you two look like hookers,” Jazz scrunched up her nose.

“Here,” Maizie grabbed her jacket and put it around Nyla. She looked at Serene. “You wanna steal a shirt or something?”  
“Nah,” Serene adjusted the bra straps. “I’m fine with the hooker look.”

 

 

The marketplace was full of perfectly respectable people milling about from stall to stall. The girls grabbed breakfast from a Bee Hoon stall and meandered about. Nyla complained about her feet aching and Maizie gave her a piggyback ride up to the dorm room while Serene and Jazz threw bits of food at each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So no one commented on the last chapter but I already had this written so here it is


	6. Chapter 6

Serene’s mouth was dry and she felt like death in History the next morning.

“Oh my God is she still talking?” She muttered, her hand on her forehead and staring down at the blank notebook in front of her.

“I’m starting to think finishing off all the alcohol in one night might not have been the best idea,” Maizie agreed lowly, her head resting on her arms, folded on the desk.

“Oh gee, if only someone had told you that.” Jazz whispered sarcastically, studiously taking notes.

Serene gave her a bleary glare, straightening up and trying to focus on the lesson. She’d already memorised this part of the textbook.

The bell rang and Serene jumped. Maizie might have died.

  
“We got combat training after lunch.” Nyla said, grabbing a small fruit salad and putting it on her tray in the lunch line, “You guys might want to sober up.”  
“I’m fine now,” Serene said, grabbing an apple.

“I’m not.” Maizie moaned. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”  
“How much did you drink?” Jazz asked in bewilderment. She’d outdrunk all of them at the party.  

“It’s not that.” Maizie shook her head. “My chest hurts.”  
“You should go to the infirmary,” Nyla said, worry all over her face.

“I’ll go with you,” Serene said, having nothing on her tray but a piece of pie and having lied about how good she felt. Her head hurt and there were too many people breathing too loudly in the hall.  
“Okay,”   
Serene walked with Maizie to the medical building and sat on a stool, spinning around as the nurse checked over Maizie. She gave her a few pills and the ache eased after an hour.

“We should probably just skip Grimm studies,” Maizie said as they strolled out into the courtyard, “ya know, for my health.”  
Serene scoffed, but smiled. “You want me to carry you too?”  
“You’re a peach,”   
Serene rolled her eyes and they headed back to their dorm. They played video games until Jazz and Nyla showed up.

“How are you feeling?” Nyla asked, sitting down beside her partner.  
“Smashing,” Maizie gave her a half smile.

“Did you know what was wrong?”  
“Probably just too much alcohol,” Serene said, walking over to her desk and sitting down. Jazz gave them the homework.

Nyla fussed over her partner while the others did their homework. Serene stepped out for a few hours to get high and snuck back in when the others were getting into bed.

“You’re back,” Jazz said, pulling the blankets over herself.

“Yep.” Serene kicked her boot off and pushed them under her bed.   
“Where’d you go?”  
Serene shrugged. “Just for a walk.”

Jazz didn’t push, but neither had to point out that she didn’t believe her.

 

 

 

Serene woke up to someone shaking her shoulder hard. She lashed out and would have punched Nyla in the throat if they hadn’t jerked back at the last second.

“What?” She demanded, sitting up.

“Maizie can’t breathe, get up,”  
Serene blinked rapidly, adjusting to the light in the room. Jazz was sitting with Maizie on her bed, helping her seat up.

“Shit,” Serene threw her blankets off, moving over to Maizie’s bed diagonal to hers. “What’s going on?”  
“We’re not sure.” Jazz frowned. “I’m gonna get the nurse; you two stay with her.”  
Serene nodded and Jazz grabbed a jacket and her scroll, slipping out of the room into the dark. Serene saw the clock read 1:54 am.

“Here, lay down on your side,” Nyla said, and she and Serene helped Maizie get comfortable. “This will make it bit easier to breath.”  
“It hurts,” Maizie gasped out.

“I know, but you need to stay calm okay. Try to take a deep breath,” Nyla breathing slowly and Maizie trying to copy her pace, “and let it out slowly,”

“Should we give her something?” Serene asked, looking around for Jazz’s extensive first aid kit.

“No we should wait for the nurse,” Nyla said, rubbing her partner’s shoulders.

Serene got up and went to the door, looking out into the courtyard. The half-moon was the only source of light and she could see Jazz and the nurse approaching.

“Okay they’re almost here.” Serene said in an attempt at assurance.

The nurse arrived and assessed Maizie, the other girls standing around nervously.

“Okay, help me get her to the Infirmary.” The nurse said in a curt voice, packing away her medical bag. Serene and Jazz went to either side, helping Maizie stand up.   
“You okay?” Jazz asked, securing Maizie’s arm around her. She was shorter than Maizie, but Serene was taller so she had to crouch slightly.

They made their way to the infirmary, bare foot and cold and Maizie in a lot of pain. Serene felt bad for her, which was an uncomfortable realisation.

 

Serene, Nyla, and Jazz sat outside the infirmary in their pyjama’s all night, waiting as the nurses helped their friend. Serene was trying not to fall asleep, but the call of not dwelling on her shitty situation had a strong pull.

If Maizie died, would she care? She’d panicked when Nyla had awoken her, and it had only been a few months. That wasn’t good. Raven wouldn’t be happy.

The thought of a pissed off Raven wasn’t something she could deal with while exhausted, so she pushed it from her mind, resting her head against the wall and closing her eyes.

An indeterminate amount of time later, Nyla once again shook her awake.

“Hey, Maizie’s gonna be okay so we’re gonna go back to the dorm,” She said gently. Serene rubbed her eyes, surprised to see the sun had risen and several students were shuffling around to the hall and showers.

“What time is it?”  
“Almost seven. Me and Jazz are gonna get some sleep until morning break; Ms Garish is going to write us all a slip.”

“Sounds good,” She said, stretching. The three stumbled back to their room, probably looking like zombies, and fell into their beds. Something felt off, and Serene realised it was the absence of Maizie’s snoring.

Oh no.

Suddenly wide awake – it wasn’t like she hadn’t pulled an all-nighter, or multiple consecutively, before – she threw off the covers and grabbed the first jeans and jacket she had lying around, getting dressed and slipping out the window.

Her eyes burned as she quickly walked to the entrance of the school, pulling out her scroll. She didn’t have any messages from Raven, which was a relief in the wake of her unfortunate realisation.

She wanted to hide away in her cave, but it had terrible reception, so she just walked to the empty balcony above the waterfall.

The reddish-brown dirt was uneven and lumpy, Serene’s exhausted state making her trip and stumble over the dips and bumps. Tough and patchy grass was growing at the edges, vines crawling up and around the cracked pillars.

“Shit,” She muttered, practically collapsing against the cool flat top of the railing. She sat in the dirt, leaning back against the column and pulling out her scroll, wandering who to call.  Ansa didn’t have a scroll, neither did Heidi. Jaron had one to track attack reports, but she wasn’t consulting him with her dilemma.

Then it hit her.

What was she thinking? She couldn’t call them. She couldn’t call anyone. They’d all either rat her out to Raven or give totally useless advice. Then rat her out to Raven.

Bitches.

Letting the scroll fall out of her hand, she dropped her head back, rubbing her face with her hands. They were cold and it felt nice. She wasn’t sure how long she sat there rubbing her face before loud sounds in the marketplace above her snapped her back to reality.

She landed back in reality with a sudden exhaustion fuelled determination.

Fuck them. She barely knew them. They weren’t her _team_ ; they were a bunch of girls she had to put up with while she did her job. They could die in a hospital or on a job and it didn’t matter.

Her life would be easier without them.

Grabbing the scroll, she left a message for Raven and, knowing her mother would check it until that night, she climbed up behind the cave and fell asleep against a lumpy rock.

 

 

Serene was, for the third time in less than twenty four hours, woken suddenly by someone shaking her. When she came to it turned out Raven had actually just kicked her shoulder.

“You said it was important.” Raven said pointedly, folding her arms and looking down at her dishevelled offspring.

“Right, yep,” Serene scrambled to her feet, suddenly very alert. “I wanted to talk about the Vytal festival.”  
Raven’s unimpressed expression changed to one of annoyance and anger. “You called me for that? You’re _not_ competing,” She said sharply. “I-”

“I know. I don’t want to compete. I wanted to go to Vale. Now.”  
Raven looked at her suspiciously. “Why?”  
Serene shrugged. “Why not? It’ll probably be my only chance to scope out the other academies huntsmen without my team hanging off me.” She tried to sound annoyed, but she wasn’t sure how successful she was. It was always harder lying to Raven; it was like she could see into her soul.

Raven evaluated her suspiciously for a minute before crossing her arms over her chest. “Fine.”  
“Really?” She’d expected her to need more convincing.

“It’ll be easier for you to move around without your team questioning everything. But keep to yourself,” Her voice became stern, warning dripping from every word. “You’re not here to make friends; you’re here to learn how to kill them.”  
“I know.” Serene nodded. “I know.”

“Good. I don’t need to tell you what will happen if you blow this,”  
Serene’s blood ran cold, but she managed a nod, unable to meet Raven’s eye.

Raven opened a portal with the quick swing of her sword, walking through without a second word. It closed, but Serene felt no relief, standing in place until her legs gave out and she fell to the cold dirt, her back hitting the wall and her lungs burning for air.

_‘I don’t need to tell you what will happen if you blow this.’_


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a short chapter, a longer one should be up soon

 

 

**_Thanatophobia; The fear of death._ **

 

 

One would think, being surrounded by it from the moment she was born, Serene would have acclimatised to death. And she had. Mostly.

She didn’t blink an eye when her mother and the other adults would return from a raid covered in blood, or when a particularly rowdy or a discontent member of the tribe would suddenly disappear, their existence erased, and their property looted.

She hadn’t even cared when, at just ten years old, she had listened to Jaron recount his ‘first hunt’ proudly, talking about the young merchant he had lured into the woods and murdered. It was a fact of life; the weak died. If it wasn’t them, it would be Grimm or illness or other evils. They stepped on each other to survive.

She hadn’t even been particularly bothered as a child at the thought of taking a life. It was just something she had to do. Someone’s life didn’t have any value to the tribe, not if there was something they could gain from eliminating them.

As selfish as it was, another’s life didn’t mean much to her until she lost her father.

Dieter hadn’t been a great parent by “normal” parenting standards. He’d let her do pretty much whatever she wanted, taught her how to throw rocks at her friends, let her play with his weapons, gave her a fighting staff when it had been even taller than her and try alcohol when she was just eight.

But she had thought the world of him. He taught her to fight, how to build her gauntlets, how to swim and survive in the wild. It had been hard work, but like all fathers should be, he had been her safety net. She’d felt like there was nothing that could be so bad that her dad couldn’t help her.

Then the universe had taken a machete to that safety net and her dad was gone.

Suddenly she was scared of everything, not least of all Raven. Dieter hadn’t particularly protected her from Raven, but Raven hadn’t had much to do with her daughter when someone else was raising her.

When the idea of her attending Beacon had come around – despite her discomfort at having people die by her hand – she’d jumped at the chance. Not just to prove herself to Raven, but to make herself stronger.

The stronger you were the less that could hurt you.

The strong survive, and the weak die. And Serene could never be weak again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to RobNips, Fuzzelein, SoldierMason, VernonKellen, Keromenson, and Blooming_Dark_flower for commenting! Thank you for your kind words, you guys keep me motivation to keep writing  
> Also yes! Nyla is genderfluid!


	8. Chapter 8

Serene handed in her paperwork and spent the next few days loitering around the office until the old cranky administrator processed it just so she would go away.

She hadn’t told her team she was leaving yet, waiting until she had the sheet in front of her before making her next move.

Jazz, Nyla and Maizie were in a spare classroom tinkering with their weapons and Serene had to admit this probably wasn’t the best place to do it.

Deciding that being rude and recalcitrant was the best way to ensure some time apart was the best decision for everyone, she headed in.

“Hey,” Jazz greeted as Serene sat on a desk nearby them. Jazz was repairing the dust cartridges in her axes. Nyla was cleaning her guns, her whip on the desk.

“Hey,” Serene rested her hands on the desk behind her, subtly checking that the halves of her staff were still on her back. She figured she could take them, but not unarmed.

“Where have you been?” Nyla asked innocently. “It’s almost time to pack up.”  
“I had to get this thing sorted.” Serene shrugged, trying to play it off casually.

“What thing?”  
“Paperwork to go to Beacon,” she held up the sheet for a moment. They all stopped working, looking up at her.

“What?” Maizie asked. “I thought we weren’t going for a few more week,”  
“I decided to go early. Check it out.”  
“Why do you need to ‘check it out’ if we’re not competing?” Jazz asked. “Why didn’t you tell us?” She sounded hurt.

“Didn’t realise I had to run everything past you.” Serene sassed.

Jazz frowned. “We agreed, _as a team_ , that we wouldn’t be leaving until later in the year. You could have at least run it by us,”  
Serene rolled her eyes. “A team.” She muttered, pushing herself off the desk and heading to the door. “Whatever. I’m leaving tonight.”

 

 

Serene shoved a few clothes and her weapons into her still mostly packed duffle bag and grabbed her charger, making sure she didn’t forget anything important and dragging her trunk out of the room to the office.

“You’re lucky you got here in time,” She administrator said, all stiff as she stuck a sticker of Serene’s student ID on the trunk and signing it. “The carrier leave in a few hours; any later and you’d have had to wait another two weeks before getting your things to Beacon.”  
Serene didn’t reply. Raven had told her to make her own way to Beacon, and she was currently weighing her options. The administrator looked at her like she was dirt and returned to her kingdom of paperwork and stamps. Serene picked up her duffle and left.

She walked until she didn’t recognise where she was and stepped inside the nearest open place bustling with people.

It was a well-lit restaurant designed in classic Mistrali décor. Most more than half the seats were occupied by rowdy locals eating and drinking and laughing loudly. Serene felt a wave of déjà vu at the noise; it reminded her of most nights back at the tribe.

She slid into an unoccupied wall seat and dropped her bag at her feet, resting her head in her hands. This was exhausting. She didn’t realise how hard it would be to lie and keep her past from people, careful of every word she uttered and every person who might recognise her. Living a lie was hard; she didn’t know how Raven did it for four years.

“You look like hell, kid,”  
Serene jumped, her senses thrown off by the loud room and she reached for her staff.

A teacher from the academy stood on the other side of the table, leaning with one hand on the wooden table, her hip sticking out with her fan hanging from her leather belt. Professor Ramona Champagne was a tall, muscular huntress with warm brown skin and dark hair that made her foresty green and brown colour scheme pop. As well as being the Combat teacher, she had been ‘working’ with the troubled kids at Haven. Serene had been careful to stay under the radar but had noticed the teacher keeping an eye on her in class.

“What are you doing down here kid?” Romana asked, taking a seat across from Serene and leaning back in the chair, crossing a leg over the other, looking her over.

Serene leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest and shrugging. “I’m going to Beacon.”  
“Already?” Professor Champagne asked casually.  
“Yep.”  
“How are you getting there? You got a passport?”  
Serene did not. She didn’t answer.

“How are classes going Serene?” Champagne asked, changing the subject. “Are you adjusting well?”  
“I’m fine,” Serene said pointedly, hoping she would leave. She just nodded.

“You get along well with your teammates?”

Serene wanted to brush her off but found she didn’t have the nerve. She’d seen the huntress fight, and while she wouldn’t admit she was afraid of her, she could concede that she wasn’t someone she wanted to piss off.

“Sure,” Serene sighed, running a hand through her hair.

Champagne nodded, leaning back again. “Look, I haven’t really had a chance to talk to you, so I just wanted to say that I know for a lot of students from the East it’s hard adjusting to a more… structured way of life. If you need someone to talk to…”  
She let the offer hang and after a moment Serene gave an almost imperceptible nod. She’d never been offered to talk about her feelings before. She wouldn’t even know how to do it.

“Well,” Champagne nodding, running her hands over her now uncrossed legs. “If you need to get to Beacon without being noticed, I might know a way to help.”

That caught Serene’s interest, as much as she tried to play it off casually. “Oh?”  
“Yeah. There’s a civilian flight tonight to the docks to the west coast of Mistral. From there it should be easy enough to get a ride on a boat to Vale.”  
“Won’t I still need a passport?”  
Professor Champagne shrugged casually. “Not if no one knows you’re there.”  
She gave Serene a wink and stood, walking off somewhere else in the now packed room.

 

 

 

 

 

The civilian flight was easy enough to get onto, despite her reluctance at handing over her staff.

It was past midnight when she arrived at the docks and there was no one else around, the only sound was the soft banging of ships against the harbour and the waves crashing into the barriers.

Serene wouldn’t lie; she was excited. She’d never seen the ocean before.

The full moon lit the beach and Serene walked to the end of the cement walkway at the edge of the white sand beach, finding a bench and sitting down. She set her bag down and watched the waves crash and the pale moonlight shine on the water. it was like nothing she had ever experienced. She hoped she would be able to visit the beach more often.

“There you are!”  
Serene jumped to her feet, pulling her staff from her back and turning towards the voice.

“Woah, relax,” Sun said, holding his hands up in surrender.  
Serene huffed out a breath, “What are you doing here?”  
“Professor Champagne called,” Sun pulled out his scroll. “Said you were headed this way and to keep an eye out for you.”  
“I thought you left two days ago.” Serene eyes him suspiciously.

“Yeah; turns out it’s a lot harder to stow away on a ship here than it is in Vacuo.” He jumped over the back onto the bench and sat down. “I’ve been waiting for the right time.”  
“Can’t you just bribe someone?”  
“That would defeat the whole purpose of stowing away.”  
“And what purpose is that?”  
“I don’t have any money to bribe someone with,”  
“Oh.”  
Serene joined him on the bench. They sat in silence for a while and Serene turned her focus back to the beach.

“Have you ever been here before?” Sun asked.

“What?”  
“You’re from Mistral right? You ever been here?”  
“Where are we?”  
“Brash Bay,” Sun said, gesturing vaguely to a sign a bit further down the path. Serene around and noticed the sign; if she hadn’t been raised in the dark, she probably wouldn’t be able to make out the words on the Eastern facing sign.

“No.” She shrugged. “I’ve never been to the beach before.”  
“What?” Sun asked, absolutely scandalised. “You’ve never been? Dude!”  
“What?” She asked defensively.

“Dude, the beach is the best! You should try surfing it’s amazing.”  
“What the hell is surfing?”  
Sun looked at her like he was about to explode, his mouth opening and closing in shock.  
Serene was pretty sure of what surfing was, but she was enjoying his reactions.

“Do you wanna go for a swim?” He asked.  
Serene raised an eyebrow. “It’s the middle of the night.”  
“So? It’s a full moon, unless you’ve got somewhere else to be?” He asked her pointedly.  
Serene shrugged, trying to play it off cool. “Nope.”  
“Then let’s go!” Sun jumped up and kicked off his shoes, putting them on the bench and taking off his shirt, leaving them both on the bench.  
“You’re gonna swim in jeans?”  
“I’m wearing boxers,” He said. He dropped his pants and Serene snorted with laughter.

“Shut up!” Sun said, his turn to be defensive.

“Nice banana shorts. A little on the nose don’t you think?”

“My mum bought them for me. Are you coming or not?”  
Serene thought about it a moment later before undoing her boots and stripping until she stood in the cool summer air in her boy shorts and sports bra.

“Race you to the water?” Sun asked.

Serene rolled her eyes. “Seriously? How old are y-” she took off in a sprint, hearing him call out (“No fair!”) behind her. Her hardened feet pounded over the cement walkway before leaping down the small drop onto the beach. She was surprised by how unstable the sand was, but her strong legs quickly adapted and propelled her forward over the dry and loose to the wet and more solid sand and into the cool dark water. She felt Sun beside her and heard him hit the water as she dove under the shallow waves. Reaching out, she ran her hand over the whirling grains of sand, loose and tumbling through her fingers.

She broke the surface, the salt overwhelming her senses as she tried to stay afloat while she got her bearing and found her footing. She looked around for Sun, seeing him a few metres closer to land, breaking through the water, only to immediately be taken down by a wave.

Serene felt a rush of joy as the water surrounded her. It was cold, but not unpleasantly so, and the saltwater made it feel more intense than the river water she was used to.

She loved it.

“Pretty cool huh?” Sun asked, swimming over to her.

“It’s alright,” She smiled. They swam out a bit further, bobbing slightly with the waves.

“What do you think happened to it?” Sun asked once Serene once again broke the surface after wetting her hair.

“What?” She wiped her eyes and looked over at him where he was floating on his back, looking up at the sky.

“The moon. What do you think happened to it?”  
“I don’t know. Maybe it was just… like that.”

“I think something broke it.”  
“What could break the moon?”  
“Like a comet or asteroid or something.” His shrug was lost in the waves.

Serene just nodded, copying his position easily and staring up at the sky, bobbing with the waves. The city they were near was fairly big, but she could still see a good amount of stars.

 

Serene woke up on the beach hours later as the sun began to rise; the blinding light broke the horizon and shone right into her eyes. Sun was asleep on the bench, using her bag as a pillow.

She laid there for a few more minutes, letting the light of the sun begin to warm her skin.

Not accustomed to sleeping in, she sat up and looked down at herself. She was in what she had gone swimming in and didn’t recognise the towel she was lying on.

Standing up, she walked over to the bench and yanked her duffle from under Sun, who immediately jerked awake. At least he had put his pants on before passing out.

She dropped her bag on the ground and pulled out a t-shirt and shorts, grabbing her boots and shoving Sun aside so she could sit down and wipe the sand off her feet.

“What time is it?” Sun asked, stretching. She winced at the popping of his joints.

“Um,” She checked her watch. “Six o’clock.”  
“Cool.”  
“Is this what you’ve been doing for three days?” Serene asked. “Just bumming around trying to find a ride?”  
“Pretty much.”  
Serene eyed him weirdly and did up her laces, rifling through her bag for her hairbrush.  
“So what’s your plan to get to Vale? That trip is gonna be pretty pricey.”  
Serene shrugged, shoving her other clothes and hairbrush back into the bag. “I’ll think of something.”

“You better think quick; we’ve gotta get there soon or we’ll miss classes.”  
Serene looked around, checking for any passers-by before standing and slinging her bag onto her back.  
“How cool are you with breaking the law?” She asked.  
“You gotta do what you gotta do.” Sun shrugged, before looking worried. “You’re not talking, like, murder or anything are you?”  
Serene just rolled her eyes and walked off. Sun shoved his feet into his sneakers and ran after her.

 

 

“Not that I’m complaining, but why are we stealing pizza for breakfast?”  
“We gotta look like we blend in,” Serene said, picking up a slice.

“I don’t think we’re succeeding.” Sun said, looking around at the haggard looking old sailors milling about the fishing boats.

“Not with them. Them,” She gestured further along the pier to a larger, brighter boat. It’s back was emblazoned with the words ‘ _Seas the Day’_ in blue cursive writing. Several touristy looking people were eating in front of the nice little café across from it. “As far as any of them are concerned, we’re two more travellers waiting for the captain.”  
“And when we don’t have a boarding pass?”  
“We won’t need them. We’re going to stow away.”  
“And how are we going to manage that? We’ll be seen,”  
“We just need to get aboard and act like we belong until we find a place to stow away.”  
“Won’t they realise we didn’t sign on?”  
“Does that guy look like he’s about to go sailing?” Serene nodded down to the boat and Sun turned his whole body to look. Serene rubbed her eyes, muttering about subtlety.

Sun looked down to see the man setting up the sign in stand by the ‘ _Seas the Day’_. He had gelled and styled hair, pressed black trousers and a white button up shirt.

“Fair point. So how are we actually going to get on?”  
  
  
  
  


“This seems like a bad idea!” Sun whispered loudly beside Serene as they trailed after the boat, her gauntlet wire hanging around the back railing, Sun’s doubles tail wrapped around the railing, holding onto each other by their wrists. They were hanging out the back of the boat and Serene had to admit; this wasn’t her best idea.

“Just wait a few more minutes,” She hissed back, her arms beginning to burn.

The boat was beginning to slow as they got out into the open see and Serene gave the go ahead. Sun pulled himself up and Serene’s wires began to retract, pulling her onto the deck. They looked around, seeing no one else on the back of the boat.

“Where to now?” Sun asked.

“Stay low,” Serene said, creeping over to the back of the bridge. She could hear people talking up front and gestured for Sun to come over.

“Come on,” They snuck up to the door on the side, Serene keeping an eye out for the passengers and crew and sneaking inside, down to the very bottom of the boat and finding a spare room. It was filled mostly with fishing supplies and smelt strongly of the ocean, which was slightly off putting.

“What does a cruise ship need with all this stuff?” Sun asked, picking up a broken underwater scanner.

“No idea.” Serene said, finding a clear space on the floor. “But for the next week and a half this is our home.”  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know if you like and want more of the story


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is deicated to VernonKellen for their lovely review :)

Sharing the room with Sun wasn’t as bad as Serene had imagined it would be. He asked about her past but didn’t push when she tried to change the subject.

Her snacks lasted about three days before they had to start sneaking out at night to steal food from the kitchen. Serene hadn’t been particularly hungry; it wasn’t uncommon to do a few days without eating when rations were low, but it was fun to make a game of sneaking through the halls and avoiding detection. They came out and night to walk around deck and get some fresh air. On the rare occasion another passenger or crewmen saw them they were given just a polite smile before continuing on their way.

It felt like forever before their trip came to an end, and Serene was up before the sun (and Sun) rose, looking out their small porthole as the land approached.

The day grew brighter as the small speck grew into the large city of Vale. Sun was rifling through the old and discarded equipment for the hundredth time as Serene waited anxiously for the dock. She was so far past cabin fever. It was more like cabin she-was-about-to-burst-into-flames-and-burn-the-boat-down.

“How much longer?” Sun whined, just walking back and forth.

“Not long. We’re pulling into the dock.”  
“How are we getting off? Can we just make a run for it?” He asked excitedly.

“If you want to…” She said shrugged dubiously.  
“Cool! Give me a countdown when we dock.” He grabbed his staff,

 

And they both froze as the door opened, and a middle-aged man appeared. All three stared at each other for a moment, before the man straightened up, frowning.   
“You two aren’t supposed to be here.” He said angrily.

“Five four three two one!” Serene said quickly, grabbing her bag and making a run for it. Sun grabbed his staff and ran after Serene, who jumped kicked the sailor to the opposite wall, landing in a roll and throwing her bag onto her back and running.

“Sorry!” Sun called after them, following after her.

They ran up the stairs and burst into the light, getting a few looks from the passengers who had gathered there with their luggage.

“You think we can make that?” Sun asked, looking over at the slowly closing gap, about fifty feet away, between the boat and the metal and cement dock.

“Hey! You two get back here!” Cried a voice from behind them. Sun and Serene turned and saw the angry man glaring up at them from the bottom of the stairs.

“I don’t think we have a choice,” She replied, slamming the door shut and melting the lock closed. She pulled out a gauntlet and quickly put it on, running to the dock and jumping onto the railing, propelling herself forward and sending her wire out, which wrapped around a pole and yanked her forward. She hit the dock hard and spun, almost falling into the water on the other side. She retracted her wire and looked around for her bag, which had landed behind her. The boat was almost docked, and Sun appeared, his two doubles pushing him forward and he landed beside her.

“Scatter!” He called. Serene jumped to her feet, ignoring the ache in her arm and hip and grabbed her bag, taking off. Sun went left and she went right, running through streets and down alleys until her lungs burned and a painful twinge was flaring in her ankle.

“Holy shit,” She panted, clutching her bag to her chest. She sat there until her heart rate calmed down before getting up and switching her jacket out for a green one, brushing her hair out of her face and tying it back her fringe fell into her eyes and she brushed it back.

Walking out onto the street, she looked around. It looked like mostly businesses, and she walked until she found somewhere, she could get a drink. She ‘accidently’ bumped into a woman and grabbed her purse, pulling out the lien before dropping it into a gutter.

The café was a bit more packed than she would have liked, but she stepped inside anyway, ordering a sugar filled coffee she had come to love and, desperate for some real food, a sandwich, and waited patiently, enjoying the air conditioning.   
“Here you go hon,” the cute waitress, a brown skinned doe faunus, said, handing her food over the bench. Serene gave a smile and took it.

“Would you be able to give me directions to Beacon academy?” She asked, leaning against the bench.

“Oh, of course! You turn right outside and walk three blocks. Then you’ll be on the main road, and if you go left, you’ll find a bright red bus stop and you can catch a ride from there right up to Beacon.”  
“Thanks,” Serene winked and took her purchases, heading outside. She followed the directions and found the bus stop. She had two hours until the next bus stop Beacon so she sat on the bench, eating her food and taking a moment to collect herself.

She was at Beacon, in Vale. Ugh, all she wanted was a shower and a proper night’s sleep. She wandered what happened to Sun, but didn’t like that she cared.

 

Finding another, smaller and quieter café, she bought another coffee so she would be allowed to sit and charge her scroll. It turned on, and she was relieved to see no messages from Raven. None from anyone, actually. She messaged Raven to let her know she had arrived and downed the rest of her coffee. At this point of exhaustion, she was energised; she hoped signing in wouldn’t take long. She was at the point where murder might just be a legitimate solution. She changed into her Haven uniform in the bathroom before catching the bus, which took her straight to Beacon and she didn’t know if she almost fell asleep or simply blacked out on the ride. Checking in was easy enough and she stared at the map she was given for a few minutes blankly, nothing actually registering.

“Are you alright?”  
Serene looked up, blinking owlishly and trying to figure out how to make her mouth work.

“Huh?” She asked brilliantly.

The student in her Beacon uniform smiled kindly. “You’re from Haven, right? Are you lost?”

“I think so.” She turned the map over, seeing the blank back of the sheet. She turned it back over again.

“Are you trying to find your dorms? The visiting students’ dorms are to the East.” The student, a rabbit faunus, moved to stand beside her, pointing out the dorms on the map.

“The fastest way there is to cut across the courtyard and take the stairs up. The dorms start on the second floor.”

“Thanks,”  
“Velvet,” She held out her hand, and Serene shook it.

“Sera.”  
“Well Sera,” Velvet said enthusiastically, “Welcome to Beacon.”  


 

 

Her luggage was there when Serene arrived and her first course of action was to grab her clothes and toiletries and making her way to the bathroom. She almost fell asleep in the shower but managed to dry off, dress, and stumble to her dorm. Curling up and passing out on the cool bedding.

 

Serene woke almost twelve hours later at about four in the morning. She sat on the bed, checking out the room. It was plainer than the Haven rooms, and she didn’t like the way the beds were, so she moved them around to resemble the room back at Haven and claimed the one behind the door, making sure the door was locked and pushing her trunk against it.

Bored with nothing else to do, she sat in the middle of the room and emptied her duffle bag and trunk, spilling the contents onto the floor. All of her clothes in her duffle smelt like the ocean, and she threw it into a pile to wash later. She carefully cleaned her gauntlets, careful to avoid rusting, and rewiring them. her staff was in good order, so she sat it behind her out of the way of her haphazard throwing.

Her trunk was more interesting; she hadn’t looked much into it since she had packed it, mostly with stolen goods, so she started sorting through the pile at the end of her bed. the clothes were nicer than the ones she had been wearing, and she had a whole bag of toiletries that smelt nice, but she wasn’t entirely sure what to do with. The notebooks she stole had been left empty in favour of the ones Haven supplied and the ones with the pretty colours she had stolen in the marketplace.

With a gasp of excitement, she noticed a bag of candy she had stolen from Maizie early on under the toiletries bag, and ripped it open, a tad dismayed when the small colourful sweets burst all over the clean clothes. She quickly scooped them up and shoved a handful in her mouth, her hunger making itself known as she tried to sedate it. She ate all the sweets before turning her attention back to the mess, searching for any more treats.

With her trunk sorted and her hunger momentarily quelled, she fell back into bed, hoping for a bit more sleep before the school came alive with the rising sun.

 

 

 

The sound of students in the hall woke Serene up. If her reflexes had been any slower, she would have fallen out of the bed from the awkward position she had shifted into in her sleep.

Getting dressed, she emptied the toiletry bag and read the small writing on the container. She had hand cream, which smelt like flowers but was very slippery. He put too much on her hands and had to wipe it off on an old shirt.

She put her clothes in the laundry before going off in search of a cafeteria. It was huge and most people were heading towards it, so it was easy enough to find and pile food onto her tray, finding an empty area of the right end table and sitting down, shovelling the food into her mouth so fast she barely had time to chew.

After breakfast she grabbed a drink and headed to the laundry room, hoping her clothes were done. Unfortunately, they still had a few minutes left, so she took a seat on one of the plastic chairs and waited.

 

 

 

Monday came too fast, considering all she’d done for the last two days was sit in her room reading her history textbook. It was, in all fairness, very interesting. She didn’t know about most of the things she read about. Education wasn’t the top priority at the backwoods bandit tribe she called home.

Sunday evening, she finished her book and, desperate for more, decided to explore the school in hopes of finding the library. She found it, and looked around for anything to do with, well, just about anything.

She found a series, ‘ _The world of Remnant’_ , and picked up the three books labelled ‘ _Atlas’, ‘Vacuo’,_ and _‘Mistral’._ Walking over to the front desk she endured the borrowing process before returning to her room, ignoring the few students still around as it got darker and darker outside.

 

The next morning was… difficult. She’d tried to put on stockings but had torn two pairs before giving up and abandoning them. Besides that, her uniform was perfect, and she ran her hands through her hair in lieu of brushing it and grabbed her bag and copy of ‘ _The World of Remnant; Vacuo’,_ and headed to the hall to eat.

Vaguely aware of the other students filing in, Serene read about the Huntsmen who first settled in the dessert.

Classes weren’t anything special, but she felt her interest in Beacon slowly waning as their Grimm studies teacher prattled on about his own life story instead of teaching them. Serene gave up and spent the last fifteen minutes doodling in her textbook. She drew a rather decent drawing of a boarbatusk and shot out of the door the second the bell sounded.

 

“I gotta get out of here!” Serene whined loudly, throwing herself onto her bed. sitting up, she stripped off her uniform and changed into jeans and a jacket, tying up her boots and grabbing her card, checking the balance and balking slightly.

The government paid huntsmen and huntresses in training a fortnightly pay to get by, and it turned out stealing most of her things had landed her with a decent sum over the last ten weeks. It wasn’t Schnee money, but it was more than she’d ever had to her name before.

Avoiding the other students relaxing at the end of the day, she headed into town and looked around for somewhere to buy her ridiculously sweet coffee.

There were several stalls set up for the Vytal tournament, and Serene scanned each one, trying to get a feel of the town. She grabbed a large coffee and subtly followed a group of teenagers to a clothes shop, breaking away and slowly walking around the shop.

The fabrics ranged from bright and colourful to dark and dull, and Serene mostly picked out the items she liked on how comfortable they were. Spotting a group of girls, one of which she recognised from her Combat class, and took in their appearance.

They were all in Huntress outfits. Serene mostly just wore what she could scavenge in the tribe, unlike Raven or Vernal or Ansa who had an outfit they preferred, and she wandered if she should get one. It would help her blend in, as most other students seemed to have their signature look.

It became her mission of the day, and she spent a few hours in the shop trying on different combinations of clothes with the help of a perky shop assistant who insisted everything looked really good on her.

Serene felt bad that she didn’t buy any clothes, so she bought some hair bands and socks, telling herself she needed them anyway.

Three more shops and she picked up a few things, but nothing she’d feel comfortable going into a fight in.

“You know,” The tall shop owner said as she pulled on her own shoes, “A few streets over there’s some stores specifically for huntresses.”  
Serene got the directions and hit the road, immensely hopeful her search would soon come to an end.

The shop was a combination of clothing and dust, and Serene was immediately drawn to the darker clothes in the corner. She found a rack and started flicking through the pants.

“Ah yes; black is a popular colour amongst first year students.”

Serene turned, seeing a tall pale person with light cream hair and dark eyes standing behind her. Serene couldn’t help but step back, bumping into the pant’s rack. They looked like a vampire.

“Um, what?” she asked. “How did you know I was a first year?”

The tall person gave an eerie smile. “ _The Crossroads_ ’ is frequented by all Combat students for our excellent prices and the convenience of having all your Beacon academy needs in one place,” They spoke with an even, slightly high pitched voice, as though they were making a sales pitch or recording an advertisement for their store. Serene was uncomfortable with their gaze, as though they could see through her.

“Cool,” She said slowly.

“I never forget a face,” They said, tapping below their right eye and grinning. “Yours is familiar, but not for an age. Were your parent’s huntsmen?”  
Serene shook her head. “No. And I’m from Haven academy, so…”  
“Nevertheless; welcome to The Crossroads. Will you be needing assistance today?”  
She shook her head again. “I’m… just gonna browse.”  
“Alright, well don’t be afraid to call out,” They turned and walked off, and Serene was frozen in place for a long moment before she regained her bearings.

That was…. freaky.

But true to the creepy person’s words, Serene found several outfits she liked in just the half hours she was there. She grabbed some dust and a magazine, stalling until someone else came to the counter to check her out, and exited the store.

The grocery store was next, and she stocked up on food and drinks, hoping to avoid leaving her dorm as much as possible. She was dismayed to discover the drinking age in Vale was twenty-one.

It was dark when she bought her fourth cup of coffee, just walking around the streets killing time until the next bus to Beacon.

She was tinkering with her staff, pushing her new pack of dust into the slots when the police cars raced past.

With nothing better to do, she followed them, weaving her way through the street until she was back at the docks, watching the police arrest a group of men with white fang emblems on the backs of their jackets from behind a large bin at the end of the alley.

“Holy shit,” She muttered, pulling out her scroll. She fiddled with it for a moment before she figured out how to record and started filming the scene, trying to figure out what exactly had happened.

She didn’t know a whole lot about the White Fang – Raven had been intent on staying out of the Mistral faction’s way – but she knew they’d grown more aggressive in the last few years. She wandered what they were doing in Vale.

A few of the cops started spreading out, looking for evidence or something, and Serene decided it was time to leave. Sticking to the shadows, she made it back to the bus stop just as the bus was pulling up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're liking the story so far. Don't forget to let me know what you think and review if you want more


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This Chapter is dedicated to Keromenson and Liskeysun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapters a bit longer, hope you like it

Two weeks passed and Serene was getting very comfortable in her dorm room. She liked having a clean, spacious area with four walls all to herself with working utilities. It may have just been a small dorm room with minimal furnishing, but to her it was the height of luxury.

The message from Nyla that her team would be joining her at Beacon on the first day of term burst her bubble slightly, but she pushed it aside and enjoyed her last few days of solitude. As much as she could.

Raven had been checking in on her every few days, either by scroll or turning up in the middle of the night, only seeming to be placated when Serene assured her she was content to sit alone in her room and read.

 

The day her teammates were due to arrive, Serene woke up late. It was the first day of term and she was supposed to have breakfast with Sun.

With her school uniform on, as well as the black fingerless gloves she wore to absorb the ache from her gauntlets, her heavy boots replacing the black shoes she’d been provided.

Halving her staff, she strapped it to her back and grabbed her bag and book, hoping to get something small from the cafeteria for breakfast. Her hoped were dashed however, when she saw several students, splattered in colourful food and drink trying to brush themselves off at the door, and a very angry looking Professor Goodwitch speaking to Headmaster Ozpin.

She changed her path, heading straight to her first class and enduring another one of Port’s audio autobiography.

Hours later she was on her way to sparring when she was almost slammed into the wall.

“Hello!”  
Serene spun around, reaching for her staff to deal with the threat, but was instead met with Nyla pulling Maizie back, reprimanding her. She’d almost forgotten they were coming today.  
“Can you be civilised for two minutes?” She asked her partner. “We _just_ got you out of trouble with that city guard.”  
“That guy was racist,” Maizie rolled her eyes. “That wasn’t my fault.”  
“Nice to see you’,” Jazz said pointedly, mostly at her teammates as she nudged them.

“Oh, hi Sera,” Nyla waved sheepishly.

“Hi,” Serene waved back.   
“We’ve been looking all over for you,” Maizie said. Her outfit was different, Serene noted. She’d traded in her shorts for longer pants and longer boots with a leather pauldron on her right shoulder and arm.

“Cool.”  
“Are you going to class?” Maizie took the schedule out of her hand and read it.  
“I’ve got sparring.”  
“You should ditch and show us around.”  
“I’ve missed enough class as it is,” Serene said, taking her timetable back. “Do you guys know where the dorm is?”  
“Yep,” Maizie held up her own piece of paper. “We just got registered and all that jazz.”

Maizie snorted and Nyla and Jazz rolled their eyes.

“You go to class,” Nyla said, dragging Maizie away, “We’ll see you later!”  
Serene walked off, her stomach sinking as her little bubble had been well and truly burst.

After weight lighting and push ups, she was wrapping her bandages around her hands, getting ready to move onto the punching bag when she was once again accosted.

“There you are!” Sun cried, taking a seat on the bench beside her. “I haven’t seen you since we made a break for it at the docks. I was starting to think you’d dropped out or something.”  
“I’ve been in my room. Or the library,” She shrugged.

“Nerd. Anyway, are you going to the dance next week?”  
“What?”  
“The school dance? Are you going?”  
“Uh,” Serene didn’t know what dance he was talking about, but she shook her head. “No. Dances aren’t really my thing.”  
“But we had such a good time at Neptune’s party.” He whined slightly.

“Only because I was drinking.”  
“Come on, be realistic; someone will spike the punch.”  
She almost laughed at that. “Thanks, but I don’t think so.”  
“Okay, well, if you change your mind Neptune and Sage don’t have dates yet.”  
“What about you?” Serene asked, fiddling with her bandages.

“I’m asking this girl out today. You should meet her! She’s so great, and beautiful, and cool. She’s got that ‘mysterious and cool’ thing you’ve got going on too.”  
Serene snorted. She doubted it.

“Yeah, maybe. I gotta get to it,” She gestured to her punching bag.

“Yeah, okay, I’ll see you around.” He waved cheerily as he walked off and Serene stuck in to punching all her strength into the heavy bag.

After a quarter of an hour or so the bag started to char slightly, and she backed off, breathing heavily. She might have gone too hard too fast.

 

 

The shower was barely lukewarm, but the steam was billowing out like a sauna. Serene tried to calm down but could feel the burn of her semblance beneath her skin.   
Her semblance had come easy, but power without discipline was a dangerous combination, and she’d been very limited in what she was allowed to use it for until she got a grip on it. And her semblance was _strong_. The red and yellow and black was visible as it pulsed through her veins as she tried to calm it.

It was more than just a part of her, it was like… she _was_ the fire, the energy, the smoke and the ash, living in a girl’s body.

And Wildfire couldn’t be contained.

 

 

 

 

 

“I’m only doing this so you’ll leave me alone,”

“Sure Sera.”  
It wasn’t entirely true. The true reason Serene let her teammates drag her into the city for dress shopping was because they promised to buy her coffee. But she didn’t want to tell them that, because it worked, and she didn’t need them bribing her with her sweet cup of diabetes every time they wanted something.

The shop they were in now was a more expensive boutique and Serene was only allowed to keep her coffee after assuring the shop assistant of her complete lack of interest at trying on the items.

“This is nice,” Nyla said softly, looking at her reflection in the mirror. It was a dark blue dress with a thin cerise sash around the waist.

“It looks really good on you,” Jazz walked over, bunching Nyla’s red hair up into a ponytail. “Especially with this hair colour.”

“But what if I feel… more boyish on the day?”

“Ooh yeah, you look hot in a suit,” Maizie commented, lounging in the chair beside Serene.   
“Do you have a suit?” Jazz asked. “It’s just a school dance; it doesn’t have to be too fancy.”

“You could just get like some nice jeans and a tie.” Maizie suggested. “Or just a dress shirt and you roll up the sleeves and leave the top few buttons undone. That’s a hot look, hey?” She nudged Serene. Serene thought it over.

“Would be hotter if you were a girl with that look,” She mused.

“Ugh, you useless lesbian.”  
“Aren’t you gay?” Serene frowned.   
“Pan.”  
“Ah.”  
“Hey!” Jazz snapped her fingers, getting their attention. “We’re finding an outfit for Nyla here.”  
“Yeah, yeah. That dress does look really nice though.” Maizie assured her.

“You’re not just saying that because this is the seventh dress I’ve tried on?” Nyla asked.   
“Nope. It looks good. And it’s nice so you can keep your body that size and wear it to other things.”

“You’re gonna be skinny your whole life with no effort and I hate you for that.” Jazz said, taking a picture of Nyla in the dress and showing it to her.

Nyla bought the dress, and Jazz chose the second dress she tried on; a pale but bright pink dress with a tutu skirt.

“What kind of dress do you want?” Jazz asked Maizie as they stepped out onto the street.

“Dunno.” Maizie shrugged.

“I need more coffee,” Serene said, dumping her empty cup in the bin.   
“You’re going to run us broke,” Jazz rolled her eyes.

“You could always let me go back to Beacon.” She pointed out.

They got her coffee and found another dress shop and set Maizie loose to find an outfit.

Serene wandered off from the group, walking around the overly plush carpet.

She noticed a familiar face in the men’s section and wondered over in hopes of avoiding sharing her opinion on more colourful clothes and hoping to scare someone.

“What are you doing?”  
Sun jumped slightly, spinning around and stumbling over his own feet.

“Oh, hey!” He said, playing cool like he didn’t have a dozen various ties on his shoulders and tied around his arms.

“What are you doing?” She asked, although she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

“Uh, just… looking for a tie for the dance.”  
“Do you know how to wear a tie Sun?” She asked, gesturing to the ones wrapped around his forearms.

“Yes.” He said defensively.   
“So you going open shirt or think you’ll manage to do up the buttons for a few hours?”  
“I think I can get a nicer shirt; I get the vibe Vale’s a bit more formal than Vacuo.”  
“I’m sure that’ll impress; not that the manscaping isn’t impressive.”  
“Thanks,” He said, rolling his eyes good naturedly. “But I’m not trying to impress anyone.”  
“What happened to your super-duper mega awesome girl?” Serene asked, taking another mouthful of her liquid sugar.

“She... Uh, she’s not going.” Sun rubbed the back of his neck. He suddenly perked up. “Oh! We could go!”  
“What?”  
“Just as friends,” He added quickly. “It’ll be fun.”  
“I’m still not going. Sorry man.”  
Sun deflated. “Oh.”  
Now, Serene had tried hard not to get close to her team or any of the other kids at Beacon, but after two weeks in a confined space with the guy, relying on each other to survive and stay out of trouble, forcing herself not to care wasn’t as easy as she would have liked. Besides, it could be fun.

“Ugh, fine, whatever!”  
She turned around, storming over to her group who was throwing various gold items of clothing on Maizie.  
“I need to get something for the dance.” She announced. All three members of her team turned to her, surprised. Maizie was the first to speak.

“I bought you coffee for nothing?”  
Jazz smacked her arm.   
“Let’s go look around,” Jazz came with her to look at some dresses, and Serene quickly lost interest.

“What about th-”

“ _Uuuuggghh_ this is boring!” She whined. Jazz looked at her in confusion.   
“This is the first dress.” She pointed out.

“Can’t I just wear jeans?”  
“You can wear a suit if you want; but you’ll need something nicer than the Men in Black ensembles you’ve hoarded. There’s a dress code.”  
“I don’t like dresses.”  
“Let’s see if they have jumpsuits or something.”

They did, but the selection wasn’t very big. Serene immediately moved to the black at the end of the rack.

“This shit’s expensive,” She muttered, pulling out an outfit that revealed way more than she was sure the Beacon dress code allowed. “So much for so little.”  
“How much do you want to spend?”  
“I don’t know, but three hundred for something I’m probably going to wear once is stupid.”  
“What colour do you like?” Jazz asked, pulling out a loose orangish yellow jumpsuit that matched Serene’s eyes.

“Black.”  
Jazz rolled her eyes. “Anything else?”  
“I don’t know. Green. Gold.”

They searched for a few more minutes, each outfit being a worse fit than the last, before Jazz grabbed her arm and dragged her over to the back.

“How about this?” She held up her discovery. It was too long on her, which meant it would probably fit Serene just fine.

It was black with brilliant gold detailing and a dark, sheer cloak that fell to her feet.

“It’s nice,” She said, running her hand over the fabric. It was soft and light and the details along the torso were pretty. She loved it, but she told herself it was mostly just because she didn’t have to shop anymore.

She gave Jazz her money to pay and walked back over to where Sun was trying to undo the mess of ties on his forearm.   
“Here,” Serene undid the knots with practised ease from years of setting up traps and tents and put them back on the rack before picking out a white and gold tie.

“This one. Wear a black shirt.”  
“Uh, okay,” He nodded, taking the tie. “I guess I’ll see you there?”  
“Yeah whatever,” She walked back to her team, grabbing the bag containing her jumpsuit and storming out into the street.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying the story. Please let me know what you think and if you want more


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dance! This is the chapter you've been waiting for

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is dedicated to Eimhee and Blooming_Dark_Flower

[Serene's jumpsuit](https://www.cu-sh.com/hydra)

[Maizie's dress](https://www.afrikrea.com/en/article/yello-bulb-maxi-infinity-robes-longues-robes-de-soiree-cocktail-jaune-tall-look-integral-wax-wax-pour-elle-wax-les-beaux-jours/CNHWWEE)

[Jazz's dress ](http://wlooks.ru/images/article/orig/2016/08/s-chem-nosit-yubki-pachki-iz-fatina--40.jpg)

Nyla's outfit it pretty straight forward

 

 

 

 

 

Serene came back from the library after lunch a few days later, her notebook and copy of _World of Remnant; Vale_ in her arms. As soon as she closed the door she was grabbed by the arm and led to the bathroom.   
“You need to shower _now,_ ” Nyla commanded, taking her bag and books from her.

“I don’t smell that bad, do I?” Serene asked, sniffing her sleeve.

“The dance is tonight,” Nyla reminded her. “ _And_ you’re half an hour late to get ready.”  
Serene rolled her eyes and took the robe Nyla gave her, closing the door and getting out of her uniform, showering quickly lest she annoy her usually calm, now agitated team mate.  
She came out drying her hair and grabbed her underwear and some shorts. She grabbed her outfit for the dance and pulled it out of the bag, before Nyla grabbed it from her and laid it down on the bed.   
“Makeup and hair first.” They commanded, dragging her over to their desk where their makeup and hair products were set up. Jazz was to the side sticking on fake eyelashes; a process that looked annoying and complicated.

“You’re not going to do that to me are you?” She asked Nyla.   
“No; your eyelashes are beautiful. Your brows are great too.”  
“Thanks?” Serene replied, unsure. She’d never been complimented on those before.

Jazz moved over to her own desk to do Maizie’s makeup and Nyla blow dried her hair before wrapping her in a towel and cutting it again. her dark locks always grew back so quickly – something she had been grateful for after Raven had her hack it off. Unfortunately, after her last little check in, Raven had told her she’d have to cut it as soon as she got back to Haven, so Serene took the chance to have it braided and done up with beads and pins.

Makeup came next and Serene had to sit as Nyla did whatever look they had come up with when Serene gave them free reign. Serene and Maizie kept themselves amused by making faes at each other in the mirrors, getting told off by Nyla and Jazz as they did their teammates.

“Done,” Nyla muttered, putting away the lipstick.

“Thanks.” Serene muttered, looking at her reflection in the mirror. It was a mostly natural look, with the accent of the gold, shimmering eyeliner.

“You look good. Now get dressed.”

“Yes sir,” Serene gave a lazy salute and grabbed her clothes, changing into it.

“Are you wearing heels or flats?” Jazz asked, slipping into her white high heels.

Serene held up the shoes she had picked out. “Uh, slightly heeled.” She put them on and grabbed the cloak, pinning it to her shoulders.

“Are we ready?” Jazz asked, moving to the middle of the room in her pink dress, her pearly white eyeshadow matching her jewellery and clips in her tight blonde curls.

“I am,” Maizie agreed, jumping to her feet in her gold and ultramarine blue wrap dress and thick heels.

“I am not…” Nyla muttered, staring at the two outfits, laid out neatly on their bed.

“What’s wrong?” Jazz asked as the three others joined them.

“I… I don’t know how I feel.” They said, twisting their sleeve anxiously. “Neither outfit feels right.”

“Well you’re more comfortable in boy clothes, right?” Maizie asked. “You could wear that and then duck out and change if you feel more girly later on?”  
“Maybe,” They muttered, eyes darting between the two options.

“We don’t have to go right now, right?” Jazz said, trying to take some of the pressure off. “We can wait a bit until you decide.”  
“No, you guys go. I’ll meet you there.”  
“No way.” Maizie said. “Just take your time.”  
“Why don’t you try them on again?” Jazz suggested.

Nyla thought for a minute before picking both outfits up and going to the bathroom to change. They were gone for a few minutes before coming out in the black jeans, dark red dress shirt and navy jacket. Their hair was shorter and features more masculine.

“It looks good,” Jazz assured them.

“Thanks. It just feels a bit,” Nyla gestured vaguely, “much.”  
“Let’s try something,” Maizie stood from where she’d sat on Jazz’s bed, walking over to her partner and pulling off the jacket. She took of their tie and undid the top button, rolling up their sleeves to their forearms and loosening the shirt in the belt, giving them a French tuck.

“There. How’s that?”  
Nyla looked at themselves in the mirror, assessing the new look.   
“It’s… better.”  
“Make your hair a bit longer,” Serene said, and watched the dark blue locks grow before her eyes. She wished she could do that with her hair.

Maizie styled it in a casual yet hot, slightly tousled look. They tried a few combinations of jewellery and hair clips.

“How does that feel?”

“Better.” Nyla smiled softly. The final look was more androgynous, and Serene could see how much more physically comfortable they were, the tension falling away from their shoulders.

“Let’s go then!” Jazz said excitedly, grabbing Serene and Nyla’s hands and pulling them out of the room and towards the Hall.

They were almost there when she saw Sun puttering to the hall, his tie around his neck as he tried to tie it. She rolled her eyes and told her teammates she would meet them in there and headed over to him.

“What are you doing?” She asked as she approached. He looked up, smiling sheepishly.

“I don’t know how to do this.” He admitted. Serene rolled her eyes, trying to hide an amused smile and undid the mess he had twisted the fabric into, redoing it around his neck and straightening it, the heat from her fingers ironing out the creases.   
“You know, you’re supposed to wear these around your collar?” She said, straightening but not fixing his popped collar.

“I’m kinda surprised you know how to do a tie,” He admitted.  
“It’s more of a knot really.” She admitted, loosening it for him.

“Thanks.”  
“Um, hello,”   
Sun and Serene turned to see a girl standing a few metres away in a pretty black dress, a dark bow in her even darker hair.

“Blake!” Sun cried. “You came! Hi.”  
“Hi.” The girl, Blake’s, eyes flickered to Serene, and Sun looked between the two.   
“Oh, uh, Blake, this is Sera; we go to school together.”  
“I was just fixing his tie,” Serene said casually, picking up on the situation. “The guy’s hopeless. So, you’re the super amazing girl he won’t stop talking about?”  
“Dude shut up!” Sun whispered harshly, pinching her arm.

“Well I’m gonna head inside; I’ll see you around,” She started to walk off, catching Sun’s eye and subtly pointing to the tie, Blake, and then her eyes.

“I knew you’d look better in a tie,” She heard Blake say.

“Yeah, it uh, matches your eyes!” Sun responded, then complimented her dress.

She walked into the hall and felt… surprisingly good that she’d done something nice for a friend.

 

 

 

 

 

The dance wasn’t quite as boring as Serene had thought it would be. She received a lot of compliments for her outfit, which did make her uncomfortable since she didn’t know how to respond, but it was still kinda nice.

“So, do you have any friends here?” Jazz asked, looking around at all the students dancing.

“No.” Serene said bluntly, refilling her glass.

“Oh. Do you want to dance?”  
“No.”  
“Come on,” Jazz rolled her eyes. “Dance with me.”  
“I don’t know how.”  
“I’ll teach you.”  
“I’m a slow learner.”  
“I’m patient.” Jazz took her hand and led her to the floor. Serene went along with it, not wanting to cause a scene.

Dancing wasn’t as difficult as she thought it would be, but she didn’t particularly enjoy the waltz. After they changed to free dancing it was a bit more fun, and, much to her annoyance, she found herself enjoying the Ball.

After dancing for a while, Serene checked out the refreshments table, seeing Maizie tossing pieces of candy up and catching them in her mouth.

“You look like an idiot.”  
“Shut up; I’ve almost beat Sun’s record.”

Serene snorted, grabbing a cup and filling it with punch.

“Having fun children?”  
Serene looked up and almost snorted the drink out her nose when she saw Professor Ozpin addressing herself and Maizie.

“Yeah,” Maizie said, coughing slightly as she swallowed her mouthful of candy, “You guys know how to throw a party.”  
“All the work was done by our own first years students, actually,” He gestured over to two girls standing by the door, both in white; one with long white hair Serene recognised as Weiss Schnee, and the other with thick blonde hair that made Serene slightly jealous. Her own hair had been like that not long ago, and she ran her hand subconsciously through her shorter locks.

“Cool.”  
“You young ladies are from Haven, yes?”  
“Yep,” Maizie answered as Serene tried to look anywhere but at the headmaster. She hadn’t really seen the man around much, but Raven’s clear hatred for him didn’t make her want to change that anytime soon.

“Well I hope you’re enjoying all Beacon has to offer.”  
“Sure,” Maizie nodded, not sure how to act. Apparently Serene wasn’t the only one uncomfortable around him. She was about to slip away when he spoke again.

“You’re from Haven as well?” He asked. “A first year?”

Serene nodded, having trouble meeting his eyes. “Yeah,”

“Hmm. Anyway, I’ll let you get back to your evening. Have a good night ladies,”  
“Night,” Serene said shortly, pulling Maizie back into the crowd.

“What was that about?” Maizie asked once they were clear on the other side.

“I… I’m not great with authority figures.”  
“You were never that weird with Lionheart.”  
“A half dead rabbit wouldn’t be intimidated by Lionheart.” She shot back.

“Fair point. I’m gonna go ask that blonde girl if she wants to dance.”  
“Why?”

“She’s top heavy and smart; just my type of woman.”  
Serene rolled her eyes and walked off, trying to avoid any of the teachers lining the walls of the hall.

“What’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?” Sun asked, taking a seat beside her near the end of the night.   
“This is a nice place.”  
“Exactly.”  
Serene shoved him, laughing slightly.

“Hey, sorry for ditching you.” Serene shrugged off his apology.   
“Don’t worry about it. I wouldn’t have danced with you anyway. Not in those sneakers.”  
“What’s wrong with my sneakers?”  
“They’re ugly, man.”  
“No they’re not! They suit me.”  
“Did your mum tell you that?”  
“Shut up,” he laughed and nudged her with his elbow.

“How’s Blake?”  
“Great! Man, she’s amazing. And she looks so pretty in her dress.” He said dreamily, “I’m so glad she decided to come.”

“Why wasn’t she coming?”  
“Some personal stuff.” He brushed off the question casually. “Why didn’t you want to come?”  
Serene shrugged. “I don’t like this stuff. A whole bunch of teenagers in one place, interacting.”  
“So, like… school?”  
“Exactly.”  
Sun chuckled, putting his arms behind his neck and kicked the chair back, leaning against the wall.

“Well, either way I’m glad you came. You look really nice.”  
“Thanks.”  
“Do you want to dance?”  
“No.”  
“Come on!” He jumped to his feet. “It’ll be fun.”  
“I can’t dance.”

“You were just dancing with Jazz.”  
“That wasn’t me. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”  
“You were going to dance with me.”  
“That was before you ditched me for another girl. I’m heartbroken,” She deadpanned, leaning back against the wall.

“Let’s dance.” He took her hand, dragging her out onto the floor as the music kicked up.

Dancing was actually kind of fun, not that she would admit it, and she enjoyed watching Sun dance like an idiot.

After dancing, Sun dragged her back over to the punch bowl and she watched him try to pour punch with his tail.

“I hope this shit is spiked.” Serene said, taking a drink. It wasn’t.

“I should find Blake,” Sun said, looking around the room. “Oh! You should meet her teammates. They’re really cool. They started the food fight in the hall the other day,” He grinned. He took her arm and led her around until they found the small group of girls chatting by the window.

“Hey guys!”

“Hi Sun,” They greeted with varying degrees of enthusiasm.

 “You’re all looking lovely, as usual.”  
They rolled their eyes, most of them smiling.

“Where did you go?” The tall blonde Maizie had had danced with asked.

“Dancing with my friend from Haven.” he said, gesturing to her with a flourish. “This is Sera.”

Hi’s and Hello’s were thrown out and Serene waved half-heartedly.

“Hi.”  
“Sera, this is Blake who you met earlier.”  
“Hi,” Blake said with a tentative smile.

“Ruby,” He gestured to the short girl who has her hand on the wall to steady herself.  
“Nice to meet you,” The girl with short dark hair smiled. She looked too young to be in a Huntsmen academy.

“Weiss,” Sun gestured to the other, shorter girl in white.

“Pleasure to meet you,” Weiss said, sounding slightly deflated. She kept glancing out to the dance floor.

“And Yang,” He finished.

“Hi!” The tall blonde smiled, waving. “It’s nice to meet you.”  
“Yeah, you too,” Serene tried to sound like a normal human being who interacted with other people regularly.   
“I love your hair.” She said, “Did you do it yourself?”  
“Yeah.”  
“It’s so nice.”  
“Thanks. I like yours too.” She coveted the days her own hair was so long.

“Thank you!” Yang beamed. “Where did you get your beads?”  
“Just… everywhere. All over Mistral. I made some.”  
“Wow really?” Yang stepped closer to her side to get a better look. “Just out of metal?”

“Yeah, titanium and wires mostly.”

“That’s so cool!”  
“Thanks. I like your dress.”  
“I _love_ your jumpsuit.” Yang fawned. “Is that your colour scheme?”  
“Pretty much.”  
“It looks so good on you.”  
“It’s just gonna be an endless loop of this isn’t it?” Serene heard Ruby ask.

“Probably,” Sun chuckled.

“Shut up,” Serene and Yang said, both smacking his arms.

“Sera!” Serene turned to see Maizie coming over, throwing an arm over her shoulders. “Jazz and Nyla left, come dance with me.”  
“What?”  
“I don’t have anyone else to dance with.”  
“So?”  
“So dance with me.”  
“Well maybe we’ll see you around,” Yang said.  
“Sure. Goodnight,” She followed Maizie back to the dance floor and they made idiots out of themselves for a bit longer before making the walk back to the dorm in the refreshingly cool night air.

Maizie helped her take all the beads out of her hair and they showered, easier to get all the makeup off that way than scrubbing off the layers of makeup.

By the time she got out of the shower Jazz and Nyla were tucked into bed and Maizie was on her scroll.

Serene and Maizie got into their beds and threw bits of candy at each other, giggling, until Nyla snapped and told them to go the fuck to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think and leave a review if you liked the chapter. Remember, reviews keep the chapters coming


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team JSMN head to their shadowing mission!
> 
> Crocuta's are large Hyena Grimms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to Eimhee!  
> To answer your question, Serene looks pretty much just like Yang with black hair, red/yellow eyes, and her skin is usually more tan, since she spend literally all her time outside. They're not identical, but they're close enough that most people would notice it.

 

 

 

“Another thing? But we just did a thing!” Serene whined, following Jazz to the boards outside the amphitheatre.

“That was a dance, not a combat mission.” Nyla pointed out.

“Are you sure about that?”

“We need to pick a mission before everyone takes all the good ones.” Jazz said determinedly.  
“Where should we go?” Nyla asked.

“Ooh, let’s go to Vacuo.”  
“Let’s not.” Nyla countered immediately.

“Well we’re not going to Atlas.”  
“Fine with me,” Said Serene, drawing on her arm with a black pen.

“So, Vale or Mistral...” Jazz summarised, going through their options. “We could… oh, we could follow a Grimm specialist to discover and record new Grimm species in a recently claimed area in central Southern Mistral.”  
“Wow,” Said Maizie, “That sounds _really_ boring.”  
“No it doesn’t.” Nyla disputed.

“What about a shadowing mission to destroy a herd of Crocuta in lower Vale?”  
“Ooh Crocuta? Let’s do that.” Maizie said, jumping to Jazz’s side to read the mission details.

“Crocuta are some of the deadliest land Grimm,” Nyla pointed out. “Is that really a first-year mission?”  
“Yep,” Jazz said.   
“What huntsmen will we be shadowing?” Serene asked.

“Umm…” Jazz scanned the details. “R. Champagne. Professor Champagne. Cool; I didn’t know she was in Vale.”  
“She was a former Vytal Tournament winner,” Nyla said, “She went to the top four in her second year and first in her fourth. All the previous Winner’s get together for interviews and celebrations and the like during the festival.”  
“We are so doing this one,” Maizie said, going into the job and entering their team. There were no protests, so she entered them in, and they went on their way. They received an email of all their mission details and Jazz balked.

“We leave tomorrow?!”

“Oh that’s not good.” Maizie muttered. “We suck.”  
“We do suck,” Serene muttered.

“We’re not that bad,” Nyla defended.   
“As a team we are,” Jazz pointed out. “We should get some practise in before we leave. What class do we have now?”  
“Study hall.”  
“Let’s ditch and get some extra practise in.”  
“You’re encouraging us to ditch?” Maizie asked, pretending to be scandalised. Jazz rolled her eyes.

“Oh please. Nyla is a genius, Serene and I are on top of all our work, and you’re weirdly good at everything.”  
“Why thank you.”  
“We need to get practise in, or we’ll suck out in the field.”

“Whatever gets me out of sitting in the library for an hour.”  
The four headed to the gym, and Serene forewent her gauntlets and grabbed her staff, changing into gym shorts and loose t-shirt. Maizie wore the same. Nyla was presenting male and wore a singlet and tights. Jazz was in a sports bra and shorts, spinning her axes around.

“Try not to kill each other,” Jazz said, combining her axes and shifting them to a double ended spear. Nyla cracked his whip and Serene and Maizie jumped.

“Holy shit I forgot how loud that was.” Maizie said, clutching her chest.

“Alright,” Jazz said, cracking her neck. “Let’s go.”  
  
  


 

“That was a bad idea,” Maizie muttered, lying on the floor post-workout.

“Don’t feel too bad,” Serene said, “You got a few good shots in,” She raised her shirts, seeing the fading bruise from the hit from Maizie’s metal claws. She wiped away the trail of blood from the scratch on her forehead.

“Damn you fight dirty,” Jazz muttered to Serene, rubbing her back where Serene had hit her.

“Can we go to bed now?” Nyla asked. “I’m gonna need to sleep for a week.”  
“Maybe letting Serene beat the shit out of us before going on a shadowing mission wasn’t the best idea.”  
“Probably not,” Serene agrees. “I’m going to get something to eat. Later.”  
  


 

 

 

 

Serene woke up to Nyla’s alarm blaring and she grabbed her staff to destroy it.

“Wait, wait!” Nyla cried, grabbing the alarm and pulling it to his chest, stopping the loud beeping. Serene walked back over to her bed and fell into it, wrapping herself up in the covers.

“We gotta get up,” Nyla said through a yawn, stretching. “We’ve only got two hours to get to the airstrip.”  
“I call the first shower,” Maizie mumbled, still wrapped up in her blankets.

“Tough shit,” Jazz called, closing the door behind her. Maizie mumbled but didn’t move.

Serene sat up and rubbed her face, swinging her feet to the floor and looked around the room for her scroll. She checked it, trying not to freeze when she saw the message from Raven. She’d let her mother know about the mission and hadn’t received a response and had hoped she wouldn’t.

_Call me when you get back to Beacon. We need to talk_

Ignoring the dread in her stomach, she closed the scroll and shoved it in her new bag.

“Have you got enough dust for your staff?” Nyla asked, grabbing her own bag and adding an extra pair of socks.

“Yep,” Serene grabbed her hairbrush, carefully brushing her messy curls.

“That’s a nice brush,” Nyla commented.   
“Thanks.”  
“Where did you get it?”  
Serene paused for a moment, looking at the faded star pattern on the back of the brush. “It was a gift.”  
“Your parents?”  
Serene nodded. According to her cover, her mother was dead, murdered as well as her father when Grimm attacked their small village in the mountains.

“How long have you had it?”  
“As long as I can remember.” She finished brushing her hair and put it into her bag, along with the silver case she bought to hold and protect the picture of her father. 

“Next!” Jazz called, coming out of the bathroom in a bellow of smoke.

“Alright, alright I’m going,” Maizie moaned, finally climbing out of her bed.

They all showered and got ready and Serene put on the huntress outfit she had picked.

The pants were black and stopped at her ankles and were held up by a grey sash around her waist that doubled as a belt for her staff, similar bandages around her ankles. The black and brown boots came to right below the bottom of the pants and she liked how heavy and comfortable they were. Her top was a dark, almost black gold that exposed her midriff, with a slightly brighter gold collar that wrapped around her neck and down across her chest from the left to under her right arm. The sleeves were rolled up revealing the same cyber gold as her collar and her fingerless gloves were black with amber yellow detailing. Her hair, now stopping a few inches above her shoulder was basically a mop of curls.

She hadn’t done much with her hair since it had been cut, holding onto the anger of her mother chopping away the only thing she really liked about herself. But she’d been experimenting with shorter hairstyles, and grabbed the top half, twisting and braiding it, adding smaller braids over her ears.   
Serene emptied the felt bag of hair clips, pins, beads, bandana’s and rings on the bathroom counter. Once upon a time she had been able to fit most of her collection in her hair at one time. One time she’d managed all of it, but she and Ansa were drunk, and it was a bitch to get out.

Now, she managed a few rings and beads in and on her braids. They were silver and black and pretty, one even solid gold, and her pride and joy.

Carefully packing each item back into the bag, she noticed the silver, black and gold rings at the bottom of the pile. Raven had never let her wear jewellery, saying it would get in the way of her using her weapons; she’d only even been allowed to wear her necklace after she got her scar and hid it behind a choker improvised out bandana’s or twisted cloth.

Slipping on three rings, she checked her appearance and, happy with her hair, decided she’d taken up enough time in the bathroom.

“Woah, looking good,” Maizie said when Serene came out in her outfit.   
“Thanks. How much longer do we have?”  
“An hour.” Nyla answered. “We should get some breakfast before heading down there.”  
“Good idea.” Serene agreed, and they filed down to the cafeteria. Maizie and Serene grabbed everything they could carry and headed down to where the airships were. They saw a dozen or so other teams meandering around as they waited for the huntsmen or huntresses they would be shadowing.

Maizie and Serene were throwing grapes into each other’s mouths. Maizie got one in and she and Serene cheered, before Jazz kicked her back and they both looked over to see Professor Champagne approaching them.   
“Good morning!” She said, stopping a few feet away as Serene and Maizie jumped to their feet.

“Morning,” They all greeted, trying not to look like dorks.   
“You girls ready for some Grimm slaying?”  
“Yep,” Jazz, Maizie and Serene agreed. Nyla, who was presenting male, muttered a hesitant “yes.”  
“My apologies; ladies and gentleman. Let’s go!” She led the way, her chocolate brown high heeled boots _clacking_ on the tarmac. Once they were in the airship the professor told them where to sit and secure their belts as they took off.

Professor Champagne was talking to another huntsman on the ship and Serene took the chance to study her appearance. Because her outfit was cool and professional. Not because she was actually really hot.

Her boots were cool and nice looking, even with the scuffs and re[airs from her adventures. Her pants were dark brown and her corset like top was the same copper brown as Jazz’s skin, with a dark green undershirt and a full-length coat with brown detailing. Her kyoketsu shoge’s disguised in her fans were hanging from her hips and her chigiriki on her back.

Her hair was up in a ponytail with her fringe framing her very attractive face.

 _Mind out of the gutter_ she told herself, shaking her head slightly and looking out the open door to the city down below.

 

An hour later they were joined at the back of the ship by their professor.   
“Okay, we’ll be landing in about twenty minutes. We’ll land in the town and take a car to the village about an hour away.”  
“Don’t rural areas like, have huntsmen for hire for this kind of thing?” Maizie asked.

“Normally, yes. However, this pack is particularly large and vicious and has attracted other herds from Vacuo. If they get bold enough, they could attrack the town, and the village is pretty poor and rural; they can’t really afford to hire professional huntsmen to clear them out.”  
“So we’re just like… discount huntresses?” Jazz asked.

“Pretty much,” Professor Champagne shrugged, adjusting the leather ties around her wrists and palms.

The ship landed in what was little more than an old cement pavement surrounded by dirt beside an ancient singly story building that passed as an airport.

“Wow… rustic,” Maizie said, following their professor down the ramp onto the broken concrete.

“Take every part of this as a learning opportunity.” Professor Champagne said, swinging her bag over her shoulder and sauntering over to a large jeep type car. “Once you become huntresses, there’s a good chance a lot of your missions will be in the middle of nowhere. That’s where the highest demand; unfortunately, the villages don’t tend to have enough lien to pay huntsmen to these kinds of jobs are usually done for experience through the academies or pro bono work. Sometimes the government will commission a few of us to clear out some packs or a particularly dangerous threat.”   
Champagne threw her bag into the back of the jeep and told them to do the same.   
“Climb aboard!” She said, jumping into the driver’s seat. Jazz jumped into the passenger seat and Serene and Maizie sat on the top of the back seats, holding onto the frame.

“This doesn’t seem safe…” Nyla said, trying to find somewhere to sit. “Won’t we get in trouble?”  
“Around here?” Professor Champagne asked. “This is the height of luxury kid.”

Nyla climbed into the car, moving Serene’s duffle on top of Maizie’s case and squeezed her stupidly long limps into the small space.   
They took off down the dirt road, Serene and Maizie laughing as they were jostled and thrown around by the bumps and divots. Nyla was less amused.

“You guys know how to drive?” Champagne yelled over the engine.

“I know how to crash!” Maizie called back. She and Serene took turns slamming themselves into each other as hard as they could.

“You two are idiots!” Nyla told them, shoving Maizie’s foot off his shoulder. “I can drive,” She continued.

“Me too.” Jazz said, holding onto the door to stop herself being thrown into the windscreen.

“You all from Mistral?” The professor continued.

“Yeah,” Jazz and Serene answered.   
“Mistral and Atlas!” Nyla called; his naturally soft voice almost being drowned in the rumble of the car down the country road.

“Vacuo!” Said Maizie.

“Vacuo? You must have a fair bit of experience with Grimm?” They turned onto a smoother, tempered dirt road and the second part of her sentence was too loud without the background roar of the grungy road.

 “A bit,” Maizie nodded, “We live in the outskirts of the city, so we get Sabre’s and Creeps and Rhinoceros and stuff like that.”  
“What about the rest of you?”

“I attended Alsius,” Nyla said, trying to get comfortable now that the road had evened out. “And my mum’s a huntress and my dad’s in the military so I’ve been in a lot of controlled field expeditions.”

“What about you?” Champagne glanced at Jazz in the passenger seat.   
“Um, not really,” Jazz admitted. “Just the stuff that came near our village like… small stuff like Jackalopes and… and beetle Grimm…” she trailed off, somewhat embarrassed compared to her teammates and the experienced Huntress.

“Good, good. You’ve all got to start somewhere. What about you?” Champagne looked at Serene in the rear-view mirror, noting the girl hadn’t really spoken since Beacon.

“Bit of everything,” Serene shrugged.

“You go to Sanctum?”  
“No, didn’t go to Combat school.”

Surprise flashed over Champagne’s face, her eyes flicking back to Serene in the mirror. “Impressive. Who taught you how to fight?”  
Serene shrugged. “Just kinda picked it up on my own.”  
The next half hour was mostly in silence until a village appeared through the trees and the car came to a skidding halt in the dirt by the rotting, wooden gate.

“We’re here! Grab your shit.”  
They did as they were told, Nyla’s back audibly cracking as he stretched, and they followed their teacher to the rocky road and onto the uneven cobblestone road of the village.

It was around midday, so a few dozen people were milling around. The wooden fence looked like it circled the village, the centre made up of old worn buildings that had seen better days lining the main ,and possibly only road, that spanned from the gate to the opposite end of the fence in a slightly curved line, several other houses spattered through the impossibly green grass on the other side of the double story houses, several plots of gardens organised in the field. Serene guessed there were probably a hundred people, if that, living there.

“Welcome to Peral.” Champagne said, leading the way to the only triple story house they could see at the very end of the road. As they approached, a middle aged frazzled looking man rushed out the door and scrambled down the steps and up to them.

“Thank goodness you’re here!” He said, focused solely on Professor Champagne. “There’s been another attack! This needs to be taken care of immediately.” He stopped, noticing the team, realising how young they were. His frantic panic changed to annoyed frantic panic.   
“This is all you’ve brought?!”  
“This is all I need.” Professor Champagne said confidently. “Where’s the farm the Grimm have been settling in?”  
“These children aren’t going to be enough to take out all those Crocuta’s,” The man continued as though she hadn’t spoken. “We were told you were bringing reinforcements!”  
“I took this job, _for free_ , because it’s a field mission for academy students.” She said slowly, making sure he got the massage. “The job will be done, but the agreement was the students would get to use this as experience. If you didn’t want that you could always have requested assistance from the government.”  
The man went red but managed to compose himself. “Very well.” The man pulled out map from his pocket.  
“Thank you.” Professor Champagne took the map and turned away without another word. They walked back to the jeep.

“Why did we need to bring our stuff if we just needed to get a map?” Jazz asked.

“You want to leave your weapons and money unattended in a desperate, terrified village?”  
“…Good point.”

“Get your weapons ready before we go; we’re going right into the lion’s den here.”

“That’s what I call my bedroom.” Maizie grinned, her ears flicking, and Serene swing herself into her, almost knocking her out of the jeep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Here is my Rwby tumblr! you can message me anytime about fic ideas, reviews or you just wanna freak out over the latest episode](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/northforwinter)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UPDATE!!
> 
> Crocuta's are Hyena Grimm about the size of horses. I was an animal freak as a kid and Hyena's always scared me so... here. Also I have an extremely busy few weeks coming up with the end of my diploma, so the future of this fic is up in the air right now. Let me know what you think and I'll see what I can do. I've got some great ideas, but like... writing is hard....


	13. Chapter 13

Ansa threw her dagger at the tree, landing just an inch away from her previous indent. She walked over and pulled it out, returning to the dirt patch and aiming.

“Don’t you have anything better to do?” Heidi asked, leaning against the gate.

“Like what?” Ansa asked, looking around. “There’s no one here. No one ever comes here.”  
She took aim and threw her dagger, embedding it in the tall trunk.

They were on front gate duty with a few others who were lounging around. No one ever came near them – anyone who came close enough turning tail at the site of the camp’s wall – which left most of the guards entertaining themselves for the hours they were stationed there. Unfortunately the girls didn’t exactly get along, and most of the others were either passed out drunk or ignoring them.

“What do you think Serene’s doing?” Heidi asked, flipping a coin.

“I don’t fucking know,” Ansa shrugged, throwing another knife into the wall.

“I wonder how she’s doing at a real school.”  
“What do you care?” Ansa asked, slightly bewildered.

“I thought you would care more,” Heidi frowned. “Aren’t you two like…” Heidi trailed off suggestively. Ansa shrugged.

“It’s nothing serious.”  
“Obviously.” Heidi said flatly. “But still. It’s boring around here without her.”  
“It is kinda weird not having her here getting into fights with Jaron every other day.” Ansa conceded. “He’s started getting cocky without his usual ass beatings.”  
Heidi caught her coin. “What do you thinks going to happen if Serene falls through?”  
“What?” Ansa paused moments before her next throw. The question wasn’t particularly harsh but coming from Heidi is threw her off.

“Well Jaron would be next in line, wouldn’t he?” Heidi asked, absentmindedly flipping her coin. “But he’s a loose canon so I can’t imagine Raven would let him take over.”  
Ansa thought for a minute, the sharp steel digging into her fingers.

“I guess she’d just have to raise someone else to take over. That’s what the last elders did; they took Raven and her brother and groomed them into the next leaders.”  
“Then they lost one to Beacon. They should probably stop sending them away.”  
“We don’t know Serene’s not going to work out,” Ansa pointed out, not liking how defensive she sounded, finally throwing the knife.

Heidi looked at her for a moment and shrugged. “Better safe than sorry. Although Raven might not have all that time to train someone else.”

Ansa didn’t like this conversation. The next dagger hot the wood beside Heidi’s head.  
“What the fuck?!” She cried, jumping off her crate and landing in the dirt, looking between the blade and Ansa in bewilderment. “What the actual fuck!”  
Ansa shrugged, pulling the ones from the wood closer to her. Heidi glared, pulling the dagger behind her out and throwing it at Ansa. Fortunately, she was an atrocious throw and it skittered to a stop at Ansa’s feet. Ansa looked at it, unimpressed.

“How are you still alive?”  
“Piss off.”  
  
  
  


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They drove for almost an hour, giving them enough time to get out their weapons, through mostly dead and dying forestry, until they passed under a sign over the gate that read ‘ROSETTE FARM’.

It looked like it had been abandoned for years.

The long, dead yellow grass was bent in the strong wind. Angry storm clouds gathered in the distance, the fog hinting at rain thick over the mountains that acted as an unofficial border between Vale and Vacuo.

The buildings were a mishmash of wood and stone and entirely decrepit. The roof of one of the barns like buildings had almost completely collapsed in, and the other barn, red and looking to be the only building entirely made of wood, was slightly slanting with the wind, paint peeling and wood rotting all over. Maybe a dozen animal pens were visible in the yard through the wild, overrun yard, most of which had been trampled or destroyed. The hint of rotting animal carcasses was in the wind.

“Nice place to visit,” Maizie muttered as they came to a stop on the loose dirt patch in front of the main farmhouse.

Champagne turned off the Jeeps engine and the silence slammed into them. It was eerie, all encompassing, even the wind seemed to be muted.

They piled out without being told, landing carefully in the loose, pulled up dirt, each afraid to break the suffocating quiet.

Champagne led the way through the yard, five sets of eyes scanning around them.

They walked up the few steps to the front porch of the farmhouse, and Serene noticed the deep scratch marks from the Crocuta’s claws in the strong wooden door.

“This is creepy,” Maizie muttered to Serene as they kept watch, Champagne slowly pushing the door open and stepping inside.

“I’ll take downstairs; you four clear the second story and I’ll meet you up there,” She said softly, nodding to the staircase.

Jazz pulled out her axes and Nyla pulled out his gun, moving slowly and in sync to the staircase. Serene pulled out her staff and separated the two parts that made it up, taking the rear and Maizie retracted her claws and followed her partner.

Jazz led Nyla to the left of the second story, and Maizie and Serene went right. For all their dysfunction when it came to sparring, they cleared the second story like two pairs of experienced Hunters, hiding in the silence and shadows of the abandoned house.

“It’s clear,” Jazz announced as they met Champagne at top of the stairs. She nodded and led them up to next flight. It was open plan with boxes and other miscellaneous items under sheets, which were under a thick layer of dust.

“Looks like they haven’t come inside yet.” Champagne said, clipping her fans back to her belt.

“How long have they been here?” Jazz asked.

“A few months,” She answered, “but the villagers aren’t comfortable with them being so close.” They headed back downstairs.

“The guy in town said there was an attack?” Nyla asked.  
“A few of the Crocuta’s have been attacking humans and animals in the other nearby farms. The negative emotions of the villagers are just drawing more Grimm in.”

“So how many Grimm are we talking here?” Maizie asked.  
“According to the reports up to fifty Crocuta’s have been nesting here.”  
“Fifty?!” Nyla asked, whipping around to face the teacher.

“That’s actually pretty standard for Crocuta’s,” Maizie pointed out. “Some packs can have up to seventy. They’re the most social of any Grimm.”  
Serene, Jazz and Nyla looked at her in surprise.

“What?” Maizie said defensively, looking between them. “I pay attention in Grimm Studies.”  
“How are we going to take out that many Grimm?” Jazz asked, looking at their teacher.

“Well that’s only ten each,” Champagne shrugged, as though taking on ten vicious, deadly, large wolf sized Grimm was no big deal. “I should be able to take out maybe six or seven straight away if we’re lucky. Sniper can perch on the roof and start taking them out as they approach,” She pointed over to the window that led to the roof. “You two think you can take the ground?”  
Serene and Maizie nodded, adjusting their grips on their weapons.

“Good. You,” Jazz, “take up the rear with me. We need to get as many in the yard before I set off the land mines.”

She headed back to the stairs and down the dusty attic.

“Wait,” Jazz called. “Land mines?!”  
  


 

 

 

They explored the rest of the large yard, finding barely a square metre without a sign that Grimm had been through. The buildings had been clawed at, any part they could get loose being torn apart and destroyed.

“I don’t suppose you four think you could get the Grimm in here?” Champagne asked, putting her hand on the wall in the stone barn. Serene looked up from where she was stepping over the floor, covered with the rocks from the collapsed roof.

“Why?” She asked, looking over at the wooden doors. One was in the dirt a few metres away and the other was hanging on it’s hinges.

“We get some in here and I can blow them up.”  
“I meant to ask,” Jazz said quickly, trying not to trip over the stones, “how exactly are you going to do that?”  
The professor ‘tutted’. “Someone hasn’t been paying attention in class.”  
“Yes I have,” She retorted defensively.  
“It’s my semblance,” Champagne said, reaching down and picking up a fist sized stone. They watched as it shimmered slightly, and she threw it into the air. As it reached its peak it blew apart, sending small shards of rock out in all directions, but not far enough to hit any of the girls.

“Oh yeah,” Jazz muttered.

“I also do have dynamite just in case.”  
“….”  
“Cool,” Serene nodded, kicking a small rock.  
“Let’s start setting up.”

The team followed her back to the jeep and took the trowels she gave them, looking between each other trying to figure out the context.

“Landmines typically go in the land,” Champagne said, pulling out a sack of rocks and a black bag of dynamite.

“Oh,” they muttered, and began digging.

  
The landmines were planted in the area with the most signs of Grimm – the dirt field by the side of the farmhouse. “Worse comes to worse,” Champagne said, “We’ve got a backup plan if you get overwhelmed.”

 

“You said you could drive,” She said, tossing the keys to Nyla.

“What?” Nyla asked, looking up and blinking owlishly.  
“Get the car into the barn,” She pointed over to the once red wooden barn, slightly standing off from the rest of the buildings, in the overgrown field with the wild grass.

The rest of them grab their bags from the back of the jeep and moved it to the porch. Serene pulled out her scroll, checking it briefly. No new messages.

“We need to put these up,” Champagne said, pulling out to large fog lights. Maizie and Serene looked at each other than back at her.  
“You just… carry those with you?” Maizie asked.

“When I’m supervising rookies.” She said, testing the railing before climbing up onto it. “It’s best to have as much light as possible and those storm clouds don’t look particularly merciful.”  
Serene glanced out at the distance again. the clouds weren’t much closer, but they were much darker.

“When do you think the Crocuta’s will come?” Nyla asked, walking up the steps, dirty from the barn.

“Probably won’t be long now,” Champagne called, drilling in one of the fog lights above the rusted gutter. “It’s strange enough that there are none here now. I suggest you all get ready.”

Champagne finished putting up the lights and the four got to work. Nyla swapped out their coat for a jacket and changed their socks, having stepped in a puddle in the barn. Serene checked the dust was full in her gauntlets and staff an pulled off her jacket. Maizie tied back her thick hair, messy from the wind, making her ears stick out.

Maizie let out a growl as she tried to brush her thick, bushy hair back, getting stuck in several painful knots.

“Ugh, here,” Serene grabbed the brush out of her hair, kneeling behind her and brushing out the knots easily.

“Wow, how did you do that?”  
“I used to have really long hair.”  
“Really? I can’t imagine you with long hair.”  
Serene pursed her lips in annoyance. She brushed the rest of the obstructions out and started to braid it.

"How long was it?" Maizie asked. 

"At my waist, at it's longest. It was curly though, so it may have been longer."  
"Why did you cut it?"  
"Too hard to maintain."  
"All black?"  
"Yep."  
"Cool. I got mine from my dad, so he has to brush it. He's not good at it."   
Serene snorted. "Mine's like my mother, but I don't think she ever learned anything more than a ponytail."  
Maizie was quite for a moment. "How old were you when you lost them?"  
 "Eight, maybe nine. I'm not sure. It's been a long time."  
"I'm sorry. That must have been hard."  
Serene shrugged. "I'm fine. We weren't much of a family anyway."

“Hope you lot are done braiding each other’s hair,” Professor Champagne called, running up to the front steps. “It’s go time.”

The four stood, tight grips on all their weapons, moving to the edge of the porch.  
The sound of demonic cackles echoed in the air, sending a cold chill through them.

Fourteen Crocuta’s, at first count, made their way down the slightly incline beside the house, walking towards them.

“Ready?” Champagne asked, crouched on the railing.

The four glanced at each other and after a moment nodded, stepping down the stone stairs into the dirt to meet the Grimm head on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys hope you guys liked the chapter. Let me know what you think. If you want to talk more you can find me on tumblr at Northforwinter


	14. Chapter 14

Heavy rainfall woke Serene, and the sun was gone. She was lying in the rubble of the desolated building, a rock poking painfully into the small of her back and her head was throbbing, the Earth spinning as she tried to clear her vision.

She looked over to see the floodlights had been activated, illuminating the yard with an almost blinding light. Her leg was aching as she stood, so she used her staff as a walking stick and hobbled over to the front of the farmstead. There were holes and dents everywhere, signs of dust and blood scattered in over the lawn. There were flickers of fire in the distance from the dying burning grass.

There were no Grimm in sight, but she couldn’t find her teammates either.

“Shit,” She muttered, limping to the stairs and up them. She tried to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge, so she started banging.

It was quickly opened with the sound of the makeshift barricade being thrown aside, Nyla appeared looking frantic, his right eye hurriedly bandaged.

“You’re alive!” He cried, throwing his arms around her. “Oh, thank God we thought you were dead.”  
“What happened?” Serene asked, and Nyla quickly pulled her inside, shutting the door behind him and dragging him into the lounge room. Jazz was lying in an old armchair, pale and barely conscious. Professor Champagne’s leg was in a makeshift splint and Maizie was unconscious on the lounge, stitches in her forehead and her left hand heavily bandaged. Serene moved to her side, carefully wiping away the blood slowly trickling down to her eye and pushing back the blood matted curls. It was unnerving seeing such a lively person so still. Even when she slept she was constantly tossing and turning, her snores filling the dorm.

“Professor Champagne broke her leg pretty badly, and Maizie’s dust accidently set off a chain reaction in the landmines.”  
“And Jazz?”  
“I think her wound is infected. We need to get them to town.”  
Serene nodded, her head swimming slightly. “Okay. Get them to the porch, I’ll get the jeep.”  
“You can’t,” Nyla grabbed her hand as she turned to leave, “There are more Grimm out there.”  
“I’ll be fine.”  
“You were just in an explosion! You can’t go out there alone.”  
“We don’t really have a choice,” Serene pointed out. “I’ve fought in worse condition than this. Besides, what other choice do we have?”

“We could wait for help.”  
“From who? We don’t have time to wait; these guys need a hospital now.”

Nyla hesitated, but handed over the keys.

Serene grabbed her black coat and slipped out the front door, temping down the pain in her right leg and sprinting to the barn, keeping an eye out for any more monsters in the dark.

“Son of a bitch!” She hissed angrily as the doors didn’t budge. She kicked, and immediately regretted it, and punched the wood. Her body ached.

Looking around, she spotted dead wood near the bottom of the barn and knelt down, using her staff to chip away at it until she could fit through the hole.

The inside of the barn was lit by a hole in the roof, casting the light of the almost full moon down on the damp straw, rain pouring through the breach in the roof and leaking in from hundreds of gaps and crevices. There was nowhere to step without getting wet, but she was already soaked to the bone. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled slowly, smoke slipping through her lips and she felt the room heat up until she was dry, the dirt beneath her feet cracking and swirling as it dried. Rain continued to spill into the room, but most of its contents were dry.

 Serene made her way through and found an old oil lamp hung on the wall and lit it. With a stronger light, she continued looking around until she found the jeep against the opposite wall under a tarp. There was a loft at the back, and a large, broken window filtering more light.

She grabbed the cover and ripped it off, throwing it to the muck behind her and putting the lamp on the back, pulling out the keys.

She froze at the sound of a low cackle behind her.

“Fuck,” She spun, grabbed her staff. A large body threw itself into her and she hit the side of the car, denting the door. The Crocuta lunged at her, it’s maw wide and its teeth clamped down on her staff. The dust packet sparked under the pressure and burst, blowing off a chunk of its lower jaw. It retreated a few metres and Serene took the chance to get to her feet, staying low, lest there be more monsters waiting in the dark.

It attacked again and she side stepped, bringing down her staff on its necks hard, backing away from its reach as it swiped wildly.

It hit the side of the vehicle and Serene watches as, almost in slow motion, the lamp fell to the ground and spilled. The straw caught and the flames quickly spread, reaching the walls and beams.

Serene turned back to the Grimm in time for it to swipe at her. Her armoured clothing took most the blow, but she fought for breath as she rolled to a stop.

“Son of a bitch,” She felt the heat of the flame around her and she tried to acclimatise to it, melding it with her own as her aura dropped lower and lower.

The Grimm came closer and she swung her staff, creating a wall of fire between herself and the large Crocuta, the flames flickering almost blue as it grew hotter and hotter.

She got to her feet, the flames growing higher and higher. She and the beast circled each other until it was where she wanted it, and the loft broke, falling down onto it. She heard it screech and ran for the jeep, killing the fire around it and jumping it, grabbing the keys and starting the engine. With a last burst of flame and the loud crash of the Jeeps bumper the door burst open and the jeep roared out into the night, across the ashy grass to the dirt, pulling up in a dust cloud to the front steps where Nyla was helping Jazz up.  
“It’s time to go!” Serene yelled, jumping out, carrying Maizie down front the veranda as Nyla helped Jazz into the back seat. Champagne fell into the passenger’s seat and Nyla climbed on the back frame, her rifle in her hand and Serene took off into the night.

 

 

 

It was a rough drive. Serene had trouble staying on the road and shifting gears.  
“Do you not know how to drive?” Champagne asked, wincing with pain as she moved into third gear.   
“Not really,” Serene admitted, her hands shaking with leftover adrenaline. “The only other time I’ve driven a car, some friends and I stole one from a gas station and took it for a joy ride.”

“Did you crash it?”  
“Into a lake.”  
“Great.”  
They slowed after half an hour, Serene feeling a bit calmer with some distance between them and the farm and her aura replenishing. Maizie woke up and Nyla dug out an energy bar and a drink for her, helping her own depleted aura.

“Here,” She handed some to Serene, who practically inhaled them, feeling the pleasant coolness of her aura building up her ache slowly dulling.

“How are you guys feeling?” Champagne asked.

“I’m alright,” Nyla said, still scanning the dark behind them for any threats. Serene hoped her sniper vision still worked at fifty percent.

“I’m fine,” Maizie slurred. Jazz didn’t answer.

“I’m good.” Serene said shortly.

“Good, because we’ve got a problem.”  
She pointed up and they noticed the light in the distance, the smoke rising from the direction of the village.

“Fuck!” Serene ground out, slamming her hand on the steering wheel and pressing the pedal to the ground.

 

The village was on fire, people running and screaming and fruitlessly pouring buckets of water from the well onto the flames, like trying to stop a dam break with a sandbag.

“Shit,” Nyla muttered as Serene came to a stop at the entrance to the village. “We have to help.”  
“How?” Serene asked, but got out of her seat anyway.

“I’ll drive to the airport,” Champagne said, shifting with a pain filled moan into the driver’s seat, “see if they can call in reinforcements. You two think you can keep this under control?”  
Serene and Nyla confirmed, and she started the engine, disappearing down the road in a cloud of dust.

“Try to keep the fire from spreading!” Serene called before running down the cobblestone to the houses.

Her aura was still recovering, so she put out the first three houses with her dust before she ran out.

“Fuck!” her voice was drowned out by the denizens screams. She looked around, seeing a woman and boy crying by one of the larger houses at the very end of the street and ran over.   
“What happened?” She demanded.   
“My husband!” She cried, holding the teenage boy tightly, tears streaming down her soot covered face, “He’s inside with our babies!”  
Serene looked at the flame before grabbing the wrap from the boys back, sprinting into the flames, wrapping it around her arm and easily knocking down the charcoaled door.

The first floor was completely engulfed in flames. A few steps in and the floorboards below her gave in and she slammed her knee into the ground, gritting and pulling herself out.

“Hello?!” She cried, running over to the stairs, the flames licking at her skin but the heat was barely noticeable.

“Help!” She heard a deep voice call. Following the voice, she grabbed the handle of the last door on the right, the metal scorching her hand. It hurt, but she didn’t let go, twisting it open.

A man and two small children, about six and four were sitting in the bathtub, a towel pushed up against the gap under the door. They looked up at her as she appeared, probably looking like she’d crawled out of hell.

“Come on,” She wasted no time, dampening the wrap under the sink and getting the kids out of the bathtub. She ripped the fabric into several, folding it and giving it to the two children.

“Keep this over your mouth and nose,” She said, showing them how to do it.

“Who are you?” The older child, a girl, asked.

“I’m- I’m here to help you,” She said, hoping the answer would comfort the child.

She handed a piece of cloth to the dad and picked up the girl. “Can you carry him?” She asked, nodding to the younger child. The man nodded and scooped the sobbing child up.

“Stay close to me!” She called back, holding the young boy close and heading back into the smoke-filled hallway. They hurried down the staircase, sticking close to the wall. She used what power she could muster to keep the fire from touching them.

“Almost there,” She assured the little boy as they walked through what had once been the living room to the front door. “You’re gonna be okay, it’s gonna be okay, the fire’s not gonna get you.”

They broke through the front door and out into the night air. Serene’s feet hit the stone street and she fell to her knees, careful not to drop the little girl.

“Lily!” She heard someone shriek. “Clark!”  
The woman appeared before her, taking the girl into her arms as she cried ‘mama!’.

The man, still holding the boy joined them, the family holding each other close.

“Thank you,” The mother said, leaning over and taking Serene’s hand in hers. “Thank you, thank you so much!”  
Serene just nodded, breathing deeply to calm her racing heart.

“Sera!” She heard someone call, and looked up to see Nyla approaching, and tried to get to her feet.

“Most of the houses are out,” He said, jerking to stop a few feet from her. “But we need to get them away from the smoke.

Serene nodded, trying to appear better than she felt, “Lead them to the forest. I’ll clear the houses.”  
Nyla nodded and Serene turned to the family, directing them out. She headed back and pushed herself through the streets, looking and listening for any signs of life. She couldn’t find anyone, so she headed back to the end of the street where they had met the representative, hoping to cut across the smouldering garden.

Running towards the entrance of the village, she came to a grinding holt at the sight before her.

A Saber, bigger than she’d ever seen, stood in the middle of the village, slowly moving towards her. Serene’s fists went white as she gripped her staff tightly, slowly backing up.

“Alright you son of a bitch,” She muttered. Slowly, subtly, she reached for the cartridge in her right gauntlet, pulling out the fire dust.

The Saber roared and Serene turned and ran, pushing down her fear as she heard it roar and bound after her. She shoved the cartridge into her staff and shot out a wire, flying up the steps of the office building and twisting, her shoulder shattering the glass entrance and she landed in a roll, stumbling to her feet.

“Come on!” She called. The Saber broke into the room and Serene slammed her staff down, the bottom lighting on fire.

Slowly, maintaining eye contact, Serene slowly moved around the room, the staff burning brightly between herself and the Grimm.

The dust cartridge was burning out quickly and she didn’t have much time.

The Saber roared, and her staff burned bright. She broke it in half and with energy she couldn’t believe she had she sent it into its eyes, distracting it long enough for her to finish her circulation of the room, weaving through the pillars and beams, her wire secure and burning as the Saber roared.

Coming to a halt by the door, Serene watched the beast roar, looking around angrily for her and get ready to lung.

With all the strength she had in her body, she dug her feet in and retracted the wires, watching everything it touched slice in half.

She took off the Saber’s hind legs and the building began to collapse, the wires snapping back to her with a crack.

 

She was tired. Her vision was blurred.

She hadn’t planned it properly.

The wire whipped back from every direction, hitting her with a loud crack.

Her body hit the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOH!! whats gonna happen next?
> 
> so good news I've got some free time coming up now that my course has almost ended! Which means more time for writing. However there's still only so much time and I have other fics in the works, so let me know what you think if you want me to keep publishing chapters.   
> Reviews make the world go round and the chapters come out quicker


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Serene wakes up in the hospital

 

The lights in the hospital burned her already sore eyes as Serene came to consciousness seven days after she was airlifted out of Peral. There was no one in her hospital room, and her vision blurred as she came to.

Her entire body ached. Her throat was sore and dry and when she opened her mouth to call for help nothing came out.

She waited for a few minutes before a young blonde nurse came in to check on her.

“You’re awake,” She said with a kind smile. She has tan skin with freckles, her pink eyes were almost fluorescent. “You had a lot of people worried there.”  
Serene tried to reply, but once again nothing came out.

“Oh, I’m sorry, you must be parched,” the nurse disappeared from her field of vision before returning, helping her take a few small sips of cool water. Soon, the stinging in her throat started to ease.

“We can give you some stronger drugs to replenish your aura now that you’re awake,” The nurse said, doing something with her IV. A minute later Serene felt her body take on the drugs and the aching eased as she drifted back to sleep.

 

When she woke again, the nurse was there, talking to a taller, older woman with dark skin and two horns high on her forehead.

“Hello Sera,” The older woman said in a smooth voice, coming to her side when she noticed she was awake. “How are you feeling?”  
“Everything hurts,” She said softly. The ache wasn’t as bad, but the stinking in her limps and across her torso had set in. She tried to sit up, but the woman placed a hand gently on her shoulder, keeping her down.

“Yes, I expect it does. I am doctor Muse, I treated you here and performed your surgeries.”  
“Surgeries?” Serene asked, her head still partially fuzzy.

“Yes. You were in a bad way when you were brought in here. I’ve been a surgeon for Huntsmen and Huntresses for over twenty years and I’ve seen few as banged up as you were. We had to bring in a specialist from Atlas to assist in the reconstruction. We weren’t sure you were going to make it; you’re a strong girl.”  
“Recon- what are you talking about?” Serene demanded, trying to sit up again. Everything hurt, but for the most part her energy seemed to have returned to her.

“Your wires killed the Saber,” Doctor Muse said, her voice level with a hint of sympathy, “but unfortunately they did a number on you as well. We managed to heal the wounds on your throat and chest, and your abdomen, but I’m afraid the wire severed your left leg, and we were unable to save your left arm.”  
Serene’s body ran cold, her throat growing tight.

Slowly, she lowered her gaze to her lap, pulling her arms out from under the crisp hospital blanket.

Her vision blurred as she looked at her left arm. Fresh scars were stitched together from her shoulder to just below her elbow, where the bandages and stitches stopped.

Her breathing grew heavy and she grabbed the blanket, throwing it off and looking down at her legs. The right was wrapped in bandages but was in one piece.

The left was missing from about five inches above her knee. Like her arm, the rest was covered in angry scars and stitches.

The doctor may have spoken, but she didn’t hear. She didn’t hear anything; the world outside of the mutilations to her body ceased to exist.

 

Serene had always been disciplined with her semblance. From the moment it had been discovered Raven had been extremely strict with her training. She’d been trained every day and punished harshly if she faltered.

In that moment all her training unravelled, and the bed beneath her began to burn.  
“Miss Havoc?” The doctor cried. “Miss Havoc!”

Serene snapped back to reality, looking up at the worried doctor and nurse than down to see she’d burnt through her bandages, revealing the scars and stitches previously hidden.

“Miss Havoc, please calm down or we’ll have to sedate you,” The nurse said, trying to keep calm herself.

Serene looked down at her body, spotting the scars on her chest. They were the least of her worries.

She started to cry.

 

  
Days past, but Serene lost count. She lay in her hospital bed, tormented by the thoughts she couldn’t outrun.

Did Raven know about her condition? Someone had dropped off the duffle she packed with some comfortable clothes, but she hadn’t checked her scroll. The fear of what could be waiting for her was stronger than any relief it could possibly bring.

She was told it was two weeks after leaving Peral, when her team came to visit.

Jazz had been the first, knocking softly before slipping in the room. Serene didn’t react, lying on her back facing the right. The bed was too big. she felt like she was withering away.

“Hi,” Jazz said softly. Serene could hear her approaching the bed, appearing in the corner of her eye. She took a seat beside the bed. “How are you feeling?”  
Serene didn’t answer.

“Stupid question,” Jazz laughed nervously. “I… just stopped by to see you. Maizie and Nyla are here but we… we thought we should just come in one at a time. Just to not overwhelm you or anything.”  
Serene heard her sigh. She was probably fidgeting a lot. She did that when she was nervous. She did it a lot in combat class.

“I brought you something.” Serene saw her move and glance in her direction, seeing her set a pink box on the bedside table. She watched in her peripheral vision as Jazz opened the box, rifling through it.

“I know it’s not much, but it’s a care package. Maizie got you those sweets you like from the market in Mistral, Nyla bought this really nice cream that helps scars fade.” She turned her head slightly, seeing Jazz put the cream tube to her nose, inhaling. “It’s like… chamomile I think.” She smelt it again. “It’s really nice. I also got you this black hoodie.”

Jazz held up a large black hoodie, way too big for her, showing Serene. “It’s really comfortable and soft; I’ve got one just like it in pink.”

Jazz went through the box, listing off each item and Serene listened, focusing on the gifts to avoid looking at her arm. She tapered off as her list finished, a tense silence washing over them.

“Um. I… thank you, for what you did.” She said softly, sincerely. “You got us out of there when Professor Champagne couldn’t. When I couldn’t. I couldn’t even…” She grabbed her arm, the thick scars from her injury peeking out from the bottom of her sleeve. She swallowed thickly. “Thank you.”  
Serene shrugged slightly and it hurt.

Jazz nodded, turning her face away and rubbing her eyes. In her pocket, her scroll started vibrating and she pulled it out. It continued to vibrate, alerting her to a string of messages.

“I gotta go before Maizie bursts in,” Jazz said, typing a quick reply and putting the scroll away. She looked at Serene. Serene couldn’t meet her eye, unable to face the pity or sadness she’d find there.   
“I’ll stop by later, okay? I hope you feel better soon.”  
Jazz left, and Maizie almost immediately replaced her, dashing over to Serene’s side so quickly Serene physically shifted away.

“Thank fuck!” Maizie said, climbing onto the side of the bed, one leg on and the other dangling over the side. She wasn’t tall enough to touch the floor as she crouched there.

Serene started, pushing herself up to sit up against the cold metal headboard.

“I’m so glad you’re awake it’s been torture just sitting around and waiting.” She began to ramble. “We’ve just been sitting in the dorm room going crazy because the professors said we couldn’t see you yet like we just wanted to check on you! And you’re all over the news like the school kept your name retracted and everything but like it’s a big deal there’s articles and everything-”

Serene looked up at her, blinking in surprise. “What?” She asked.

“What?” Maizie asked, looking up at her with wide, medallion gold eyes.

“There’s… I’m on the news?”  
“Yeah.” Maizie pulled out her scroll, tapping away until she moved beside Serene, showing her a news segment.

“-other news a Student from one of the Huntsmen and Huntress academies had been critically wounded on a shadowing mission in Vale.” The anchor was saying. “The first year student suffered several severe injuries when according to reports, after completing their shadowing mission, they returned to a nearby town to see in in flames and, with the help of another teammate, cleared the town of residence, extinguished the majority of the flames, and single-handedly took out a large Vacuoan Saber. The young student-”

Maizie stopped the video, tucking her scroll away.

Serene didn’t know what to say. She didn’t even know how to feel. She’d saved a lot of lives, but look at what it had cost her.

“Are you alright?” Maizie asked, sitting beside her, facing her.

Serene shrugged. “Do… does anyone at Beacon know?”  
Maizie looked kind of sheepish. “Kinda… maybe…everyone knows?” She admitted. “The story was a big deal, and we were all kinda freaking out and you were missing so… it didn’t really take much to put it together and the rumour got around.”  
Serene’s nod was tense as she felt panic well up. She’d been careful to stay anonymous amongst students and staff; suddenly being in the spotlight wouldn’t help her situation. Although, it wasn’t like she could deny it when she came back without an arm or leg.

 

Came back?

 

Would she be coming back?  
It’s not like she could go back to the tribe. She wouldn’t be much good to Raven with half her limbs gone.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Maizie asked tentatively. “It’s fine, if you don’t, I totally understand. It’s still pretty… pretty fresh…” She trailed off, clearly unused to these kinds of situations.

“Not really.” Serene admitted.

Maizie nodded. “Okay. Well, just call me if you change your mind alright? I’m be here as soon as I can. Or if you need anything at all!” She added quickly. “I can get you coffee. Do you want coffee? I bet the coffee is bad here. Can you have… normal food?”  
“I lost my limps, I didn’t have a stroke,”

“Right,” she nodded, looking around the room.

Serene suddenly remembered the state she had last seen Maizie in.

“Are you okay?” She asked, looking her over.  
“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m alright. We were all pretty much okay by the time we got back here. Jazz had to stay for a few nights but… yeah, we’re alright. Just been worried about you.”

A minute of silence passed, neither knowing what to say. “Well I should go,” Maizie said. “Nyla’s still waiting to see you.”  
Serene nodded, trying to run her hand through her hair, but it was too messy and she quickly ran into a painful knot.  
“Here,” Maizie went over to the black duffle, rifling through and pulling out Serene’s wooden brush, returning to her side.   
“Can I?” She asked nervously. Serene nodded, and Maizie tentatively began running the brush through her hectic black locks. It felt nice. Serene hadn’t had someone play with her hair in years. “Just… returning the favour,” She joked lamely, going for a bit of levity. Serene felt what might have been the first signs of a smile, but it didn’t survive long.

When she was done Maizie tied the choppy curls back loosely, returning the brush to her bag. She turned to leave but hesitated once again.   
“Could… I mean, if it’s alright, could I hug you?” She asked. Serene didn’t answer for a heartbeat before nodded slightly.   
Maizie hugged her gently with care she’d never felt, as though she was something worth the effort to preserve and accommodate, and Serene fought back the tears as her friend held her close, feeling the cool dampness on the warm skin of her shoulder. She wrapped her own arm around Maizie, hugging her back.

“We’ll see you again later okay?”  
Serene nodded and Maizie left with a small wave from the door.

When Nyla came in a few minutes later Serene had wiped her eyes, but she was sure they were still red.

“Hi,” Nyla said, swinging around and closing the door behind her. She was in a dark red skirt, dress shirt, and a blue vest, her thin hair falling to her shoulders. Serene noticed the silver cases she was holding. “I know you’re probably sick of this question but how are you feeling?”  
Serene didn’t answer the question, once again, just, gripping the blanket slightly.

“What’s that?” She asked, nodding towards the cases. Nyla walked over to the food table, placing the two long rectangular cases on it and rolling it over.

“I know this is overwhelming, and you don’t have to do anything yet, but I just wanted you to know you have these when you’re ready.”  
Serene frowned, shifting away so Nyla could place one of the cases on the edge of her bed, pulling a keycard from her pocket and unlocking it. Gripping the sides, she pulled back the top, revealing its contents.

Inside was a light silver left arm prosthetic. Serene felt her breath hitch, growing warm at the sight of the prosthetic.

“There’s one for your leg too.” Nyla said softly, gesturing to the other, larger case.

Serene was silent for a long time, her mind turning frantically as everything she had been supressing had suddenly spilled out.

“I don’t need your charity,” she said, her voice thick with tears she’d deny.

“It’s not my charity.” Nyla said calmly. “The village of Peral all chipped in, mostly the family you saved. Professor Champagne made a few calls and got custom made Atlasian prosthetics made for you. You _deserve_ these.” She emphasized. “You were injured in the line of duty, and you’re entitled to what compensation can be made.”  
Serene looked up at her, making eye contact for the first time. But she didn’t speak.

Nyla sighed, closing the case and putting it with the other, tucking the key card against it.

“I know it’s a lot, I just wanted you to know you had that option.”  
“You know, do you?” Serene asked bitterly. Nyla looked over at her.

“My father lost his right leg when I was a child.” She said, her voice soft but firm. “I lived with him at the time. It’s intense; for the victim and the people around them. Don’t hold it in,” She almost seemed to plead. “The anguish will come out one way or another, and we’ll be here for you when it does.”  
She gently squeezed Serene’s shoulder and left without another word.   
Serene curled up in her blanket, refusing to look at the gifts her team had left behind.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember to review if you like the story and want more so I know if i should keep writing


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Serene Recovers in hospital and sees a friendly face

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to SlytherinHQuinn, Eimhee, and Blooming_Dark_Flower.   
> Also just to clarify Serene's face isn't actually out to most of the public. The students at Beacon who were aware of her are aware she was most likely the Huntress injured, but so far her name and image hasn't been released by the press and her team is keeping it on the DL

 

The Vytal tournament was playing on the television her new roommate was watching the next afternoon when Serene woke from her impromptu nap. Apparently, he had been in it, getting his ass handed to him by a much stronger second year in the team’s round and ended up with both of his arms in casts, annoying Serene with his bemoaning about what could have been. He had mentioned, numerous times, that he was a third year, and as such would not get another chance to compete.

“Mr Daze, please quiet down,” The doctor said, coming in and checking his board. “You’re disturbing the other patients.”  
“I want my own room.” The boy said.

Serene struggled to care.

A knock at the door came when Serene was ignoring the cardboard lunch she had been provided by the hospital. She looked over as the door opened and a familiar head appeared.

“Hello!” Sun waved, coming into the room and approaching her bedside.

“Hi,” Serene answered flatly. Sun stopped by the side of her bed, looking around for an awkward second.

“I uh, I bought you some lunch.” He said, holding out the bag he’d kept behind his back. “I figured you’d want something besides…” He gestured to the untouched tray. “That.” He nudged it aside, putting the plastic bag down and unpacking the box. “Maizie said you liked the dumplings and soup from the place near the bus stop. She wanted to come in, but Jazz said that they shouldn’t overwhelm you, so she gave me a list of all the stuff you liked to get you. I just got what I could actually read.” He pulled out a crumbled piece of paper from his pocket, straightening it out.

It was only as wide as his hand, but about a foot long, which didn’t necessarily mean much since Maizie’s writing was messy and large.

“Can you read this?” Sun held out the paper, his thumb next to a word near the top.

Serene looked at the bird scratch (cat scratch, as Maizie would say). “Little Valley,” She read. “It’s the Coffee Shop.”  
“Oooh.” He said, rereading the words. “Oh yeah. I see it now.”  
“Do you?”  
“No.” Sun shook his head. “Not at all.”  
Serene felt a smile tug at her lips and she tried to sit up. “Well, at least you’re honest,”

“Also I got you a spoon and a fork because I’ve seen you try to use chop sticks and as funny as that is, I didn’t think you’d appreciate it and I didn’t want you to kill me.”  
“I don’t think I’m at any position to kill you.” Serene said wryly, grabbing the food table and pulling it over her lap. She tried to open the plastic container with one hand, but couldn’t manage it.

“Want a hand?” Sun offered, before his entire body froze, his eyes went wide. Serene snorted, pushing the container towards him.

“Go for it.”  
Sun smiled sheepishly, opening the container and her drink.

She wasn’t sure if it was because she’d barely been eating or because Maizie had picked her favourite place in Vale, but the food was amazing. It was also very easy to eat, which she couldn’t say about the glued shut jelly containers and crumbling sandwiches provided by the hospital.

“I saw your team in the tournament,” She said, fighting off the spontaneous sadness and frustration of her entire life and her body being thrown off balance.  
“Oh yeah?” Sun asked, straightening up. “What did you think? Pretty good, right?” He pushed his chest out, posing proudly. She could practically see the twinkle off his teeth when he smiled.  
“It wasn’t _bad_ ,” She said teasingly. Sun deflated.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”  
“Well, you won.”  
He pouted. “I thought we did alright.”  
“It was pretty good,” She conceded, stirring her soup. “How’s Neptune?”  
Sun snickered. “He’ll live. We have to force him to shower though,”  
“Ew,” Serene smiled, shaking her head.

“Yeah, the dorm room was getting pretty gross. Scarlet did not appreciate it.”  
“That’s disgusting,” She scrunched up her nose, remembering how the camp could wreak, especially in the summertime.

“Are you going to watch our next round?” Sun asked.   
“Maybe,” She shrugged. “To be honest it’s kind of getting old.” She muttered, glancing over at the tv, her roommate still whining behind his curtain.

“Oh yeah, that’s totally fine,” Sun assured her quickly, holding up his hands in front of him as though in surrender. “I totally get it; the whole competition thing isn’t for everyone.”

“Who’s going through to the doubles round?” Serene asked, once again changing the subject.

“Me and Neptune. Hopefully we’ll have better luck with the terrain.”  
“Hopefully,”   
They sat in silence for a moment, eating their food, and trying not to laugh at the dramatic bemoaning of her roommate.

“What’s that?” Sun asked, his mouth full of food.

“What?”  
“That.” He pointed to the silver cases beside the drawers.

“Oh. My, uh, prosthetics. Curtesy of Atlas.”  
“Oh, wow. That was fast…”  
“Yep. Nyla dropped them off. Apparently, her dad’s some high up in the military so we got express delivery straight from the labs.” She muttered. She tossed her trash in the bin and it landed perfectly in the bag.

“Damn, nice shot!” Sun praised.

“Guess I’m not completely useless.” Serene muttered, lying back against her cushions. She moved to cross her legs, before realising she just had the one and pulled it to her chest.

Sun looked back at her, his grin fading to sadness, his shoulders falling.   
“You shouldn’t say stuff like that; you aren’t useless. Look at what you did! You saved peoples lives. A hundred people, probably more are alive with their families because you ran into a burning village and fought giant Grimm on your own.”  
“I wasn’t alone.” Serene contradicted softly. “Nyla was there.”  
“I know. But you took on that Sabre by yourself.”  
“And I paid for it. I can’t do anything now.”  
“Of course you can.” Sun said, choosing his words carefully. “Even without prosthetics there are lots of people who can live a normal life.”  
“I don’t have a normal life. I have _nothing_ to go back to if I’m not here,” She pointed out, her words growing heated.   
“So stay!” he gestured to the cases. “There are lots of resources for huntresses and huntsmen who have prosthetics!” He reached into his pockets, pulling out two handfuls of crumbled up paper. He started straightening them out, laying them out before her.

“In Vale the hospital provides therapy entirely for free if you’re in training at the academy and I found these,” He pulled out three more pieces of paper, “physical therapy places that specialises in Huntsmen and huntresses injured on missions in Mistral city. I called this one,” He pointed to a blue and white printed piece of paper, “and they can work with you for six months entirely for free even if you leave the academy if you provide a doctors report for your injuries and Doctor Muse refers like, half the huntsmen and huntresses from Vale so you’ll be fine. They can teach you how to fight and take care of your prosthetics and you can see a counsellor and everything.”  
Sun continued rattling on about each of the places he had researched, and Serene sat, letting him talk. When he was finished, he looked up at her, expectant and apprehensive.

Serene reached out, gently moving the papers aside to look at each of them before looking up at him, her face almost blank with shock.

“You… did all of that?” She asked softly, looking between him and the research.

“Well, yeah,” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Ya know, I thought it might make the whole… everything easier. you know, like the… _transitioning_.” He sounded like he was trying out the word and she couldn’t stop a small smile. She blinked rapidly, telling herself her eyes were just aching from the harsh hospital lights, not that she was tearing up.

“Thank you,” She said in a broken voice.

“Oh, no,” Sun panicked, reaching forward, before retracting, “I’m sorry please don’t cry!”   
“I’m not crying,” She sobbed, turning her face and wiping her eyes.

“I’m sorry, do you want some tissues?” He looked around, finding a box of Kleenex and grabbing it.

“Here,” he started pulling tissue after tissue out. “Wow these are really soft…” He said absentmindedly.

Serene laughed. She didn’t know why, but she did. It was small, more of a giggle, but it felt good. She felt lighter.

“Thanks,” She took a few from his hands, wiping her eyes.

“No problem,” Sun said unsurely. “Do you feel better?”

Serene nodded. “Yeah.” She started moving the paper into a neat pile, putting them into a pile on top of the care package Jazz had brought her.

“Oh! I got you something,” He reached into his pocket and pulled something out. It was a yellow monkey on a keychain. Three yellow monkeys, actually.

“What is that?”  
“It’s a keychain.” Sun smiled. “Like a friendship keychain.”

She reached out and took the three little monkeys anyway. The whole thing fit into her open hand. They were pretty cute.

“Don’t I have to give you something for it to be a friendship thing?” she asked, mostly unfamiliar with the process.

“You don’t have to.”

Serene looked at her new toy, running her fingers over the soft fabric.

“Thank you,” She said softly.

Sun smiled. He leaned forward and she met him in a hug. This whole hugging business was getting out of hand, but it felt nice. She rested her head on his shoulder, enjoying the feeling of this weight being, even momentarily, being taken off of her shoulders.

After a minute they pulled apart, Serene slightly less embarrassed about the tears in her eyes. Sun opened his mouth to speak, but his pocket started buzzing. He reached in and pulled out his scroll.

“I gotta go, sorry. I’m gonna be late to class.”

“That’s okay. Thank you, for stopping by.”  
“No problem. Let me know if you need anything okay? And let me know when you get out.”  
Sun left, and Serene took a deep breath, letting it out. She felt like a rock had been pulled off her chest, knowing that she had people out there who cared enough to look out for her, without having anything to gain from it. She leaned back into her pillows, sinking into the bed.

“Damn him,” She smiled, her voice devoid of anger or frustration.

 

 

 

 

An hour later the pretty nurse who had been tended to her and the annoying roommate came in to check on him and once again insist he quiet down. As she was leaving Serene got her attention.

“What can I help you with Ms Havoc?” The nurse said kindly.

“Uh, is… is there somewhere I could… have a bit of privacy for…” She swallowed thickly, looking at the cases beside her bed.

“Oh! Of course,” The nurse said, catching on. “I’ll go check the schedule for the physical therapy rooms, I’ll be right back okay hon?”  
Serene nodded and tried to get comfortable. She’d grown sick of the hospital gown and had been allowed to change into a white t-shirt and loose pants.

The nurse came back shortly with the news that a few of the rooms were vacant. She helped Serene into a wheelchair, bringing her and the prosthetic cases down several hallways to a spacious, empty light cerulean blue room with large windows and a white trim.

“Here we are.” The sweet nurse said, “Do you need any help or would you like some privacy?”

“I’ll be fine,” Serene answered shortly, wandering if her voice was shaking with nerves.

“Okay, well just press that button by the door if you need any help,” She said, pointing at the red button halfway down the doorframe. It’ll alert me at the nurse’s station.

“Thanks,”  
The nurse left and Serene took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She pulled her scroll out of her pocket and checked the messages.

 _I’ll be there at 4:00 pm exactly._ The text read, _be alone_

She rolled up her pant leg – a difficult task with one hand – and dropped it on the floor beside her.

The disk on her arm and leg didn’t quite make her physically sick, and she wasn’t crying at the sight anymore, which was a relief. Two weeks and she was still crying; what would Raven think of that?

Sliding onto the matted floor she sat by the cases, unlocking and opening them.

She just stared for a few minutes, before pulling out the arm and examining it. Looking up, she saw the clock on the wall read three twenty.

“Here goes nothing I guess,” She muttered, locking the arm into the disk. It just hanged there for a moment, before she heard a few small clicks and suddenly she was able to move it.

She tested it out, flexing the fingers and bending the elbow, twisting the wrist.

“Wow.”  
She thought it would feel weird, or like nothing it all but it felt… normal. She could feel herself making the movements, she could see her fingers curling and she took a moment to revel in the joy of having two functioning arms, holding them out in front of her and turning them. She gave a shaky breath, smiling at the sight.

Clambered for the leg, she pulled it out of the mould and lined it up, clicking it into place. She laughed with joy as it whirred and connected, wiggling her toes and smiling for the first time in so long. She bent the knee and rotated her ankle and took a deep breath, kneeling, and then for the first time in almost three weeks, climbed to her feet.

“Holy shit,” She gasped, putting more pressure on her leg, “Holy shit!”

She tried to distribute her weight between her legs, finding a balance as she made her way across the room, her strides growing longer and more confident.

She just walked. She did laps around the room, trying to find her usual walk. She fell over, stumbling and tripping a few times, but she didn’t care. She could walk. She moved faster and faster until she broke into a run, sprinting from corner to corner as fast as her feet would take her, laughing carelessly.

She ran until she was exhausted, her body still recovering, and her knee gave out and she collapsed onto the mat beside her wheelchair, grinning at the roof.

She could walk.

Looking at her new arm and leg, the prosthetics that had seemed like charity, like pity, were now her freedom. Her salvation from being left behind by her mother and her tribe.

She could still fight. She could still make them proud.

 

“You look like an idiot.”  
Serene jolted, sitting up quickly. Raven stood a bit away, her arms folded as she looked down at her. Serene suddenly felt all her apprehension return.

“I…” She didn’t have anything to say.

“I told you not to be the hero,” Raven said, her voice calm, the kind of calm Serene feared. “I told you to keep your head down, and you disobeyed me. And look at you now.”  
Serene slowly got to her feet, all happiness cut down, fleeing in Raven’s presence like so many innocent villagers from the inferno of their town.

“I… I can still fight,” Serene said. “I can still walk. It feels the same; just like my real arm or leg.”  
“No, you can’t.” Raven scowled, looking down at her like a piece of dirt. “Get your things. We’re leaving.”  
“What? But- but I can still fight!”  
“No, you can’t.” Raven stepped towards and Serene stepped back, stumbling slightly. “Half of your body is Grimm food somewhere in Vacuo; you _can’t do this_.” She sneered. “Pack your shit; I’ll be back tomorrow night. I don’t want a trace of you left in this school.”  
Raven stepped back through her portal and was gone before Serene could protest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has commented! Remember to comment if you liked it and let me know what you think! Your feedback is super valuable to me and helps me with the story progress. 
> 
> Also I will be going on holiday for the week so there will hopefully be a longer update as some point in the week, but until the 15th there will most likely only be the one update. Happy Holidays!!!


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!!! Yes, I'm posting on holiday, but I had the chapter written and with my birthday and on holiday I might not get another chance to update or write anymore so here it is!
> 
> Also this chapter is dedicated to Blooming dark flower and Shadowstorm_vash

_“What do you think about this?”_

_Serene looked up from her book, her eyes focusing on the bright light of Sun’s scroll._

_“What is it?”  
“They’re num-chuk gun adapters.” He explained._

_“How are you getting internet out here?” She asked. “And turn the brightness down; we don’t need to be caught.”  
“We’re more than halfway there,” He shrugged, “What are they gonna do? Throw us overboard?”  
“It’s gonna be hard to get away when we dock if they know who we are, dumbass,” She pointed out, returning to her book. The fishing crates she was leaning against were only made bearable by shoving her bag behind her, but still it pushed uncomfortably along her spine. _

_“Oh. Right,” he pulled his scroll back, flicking through the pictures. Serene looked up, frowning._

_“How are you getting internet out here?”  
“I don’t know; technology?” He gestured vaguely with his hand. _

_She pulled out her scroll, checking the internet. She had three bars. “Huh.”  
“What are you reading?” He asked, shuffling over to sit beside her. _

_“My history textbook.” She moved the book slightly to show him the pages lit by the flames flickering in her palm._

_“Why?” He asked slowly._

_“Because I’ve got nothing else to read.”  
“You didn’t bring any other books?”  
“I brought this,” She pulled out her Grimm Studies book. _

_Sun frowned, taking the book. “Really?”  
“It’s all I’ve got.” _

_“You need to expand your library.”  
Serene just shrugged, putting the book away and returning to her reading. Sun leaned back, looking around the dimply lit room. The light of the stars twinkled outside, but any entertainment they may have provided had quickly dwindled. _

_“This is boring.” Sun stated._

_“Really?” Serene asked with fake enthusiasm, her nose still in her book._

_“Let’s play a game.”  
“No.”  
“Please?”  
“No.”  
“Please? Please, please, please, please, please-”_

_“Alright!” She snapped. “If I play a game will you shut up?”_

_“Yes!” He promised._

_“Fine. What game?”  
Sun returned to his bag, shuffling through it. She was surprised, at how long her was searching since there was almost nothing in there, and the bag was quite small._

_He stopped for a moment, turning back to her, “Do you have any alcohol?” He asked. She sat forward, suddenly interested in whatever he was suggesting._

_Opening her duffle she pulled out a good sized bottle of gin._

_“Great. Have you ever played twenty-one?” he asked._

_Serene smiled, opening the bottle and pouring some into an empty water bottle. “I am the Queen of twenty-one,” she handed the bottle to him and they knocked their bottles together._

_Serene didn’t remember much of that night, but she woke up in a small dark space with Sun pressed against her back. She shuffled around, seeing Sun snoring behind her, the gin bottle hugged to his chest. His shirt was missing, and she didn’t have her shoes._

_And they weren’t in their cabin._

_“Shit,” She cursed under her breath. putting her hand over Sun’s mouth she shoved him awake._

_“Shh.” She whispered in his ear. He jerked awake, frantically looking around. He mumbled something against her hand, and she moved it away from his mouth. “Keep your voice down.”  
“Where are we?” He whispered loudly.  
“I think we’re in a passenger cabin.” She answered, trying to look around the room from their low vantage point. “Under a bed.”_

_“How the hell did we get in here?” He asked._

_“I’m thinking a whole thing of gin might have had a part in it,” She snapped, pulling the bottle away from him, shoving it above them. “Now shut up, I’m trying to figure out if anyone is in here.”  
Sun was quiet and Serene listened carefully, hearing only the waves crashing against the side of the boat. A window must have been open. _

_“Okay, I don’t think anyone’s here.”_

_Sun gasped for air loudly and she rolled her eyes._

_“I didn’t mean suffocate yourself,” she mumbled, shuffling to the edge of the bed and peaking out. She couldn’t see anyone, so she slipped out, getting up onto her knees. Sun did the same on his side of the bed._

_“Wow, this place is nice.” He said, looking around the room. “How the other half live.”_

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serene woke with her leg hanging off the bed, her blanket shoved to the end of the bed and her bottom pillow on the floor, the top one on her chest. Stretching, she felt herself smile at the feel of her new arm and leg.

The room was suspiciously quiet and remained that way until her nurse came in to check on her.

“Good morning,” She said cheerily, placing Serene’s breakfast on her bench. “How are we feeling today?”

“Good,” Serene said honestly.

“Any pain in your left limps?” She asked, checking the chart at the end of the bed.

“Nope,” Serene moved her arm, wiggling her fingers. It was her new favourite thing to do.

“Great!” She smiled and pushed her blonde fringe out of her face. “The doctor wants you to see a physical therapist tomorrow morning after you’ve had some time to adjust so we can see about you being discharged.”  
“Okay.”  
“Okay, would you like me to book you into a therapy room some time today so you can get some practise in?”  
Serene agreed, still flexing her hand.

“Also we have your new gauntlet design for your prosthetic.”  
Serene looked up from her hand, blinking blankly. “Huh?”  
“Your weapon,” The nurse gestured to where her right gauntlet lay on the drawer. “We have the pieces to finish the upgrades so you can use the prosthetic like the weapon you lost.”  
Serene dropped her arm, frowning slightly. “Oh.”  
“There’s no pressure to have them done now. If you’d like we can give you the delivery and you can do it yourself if you feel capable.”

Serene thought for a minute and nodded. “Yeah, okay.”  
“Okay, well you can use the same room you were in yesterday at three o’clock. Would you like assistance getting there?”  
“I think I know the way,” Serene went back to playing with her arm.

“Is there anything else you need?”  
“I think I’m good. Hey, where did the kid go?” She asked, looking over at the curtain between the two beds.

“Oh, Mr Daze has been discharged.” She said, obviously very happy with the news. “Anything else?”  
Serene shook her head and the nurse left. Serene pulled out her scroll and after a bit of debating, pressed call.

 

 

 

“Woah! Look at you!”  
Serene looked up from the hospital pond to see Sun walking up the bridge to her. She rolled her eyes but smiled good naturedly.

“How do they feel?” He asked.

“Pretty good actually,” She held up her arm, turning it around for him to see. “A lot more normal than I thought it would.”

They started walking through the garden. Serene didn’t need the jacket in the cool autumn air but it was really comfortable, so she’d practically been living in it.

“How’s Beacon?” She asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Even that small movement felt nice.

“Pretty good. Just a few more days of the tournament left, so it’s getting pretty tense.”

“Mm.”

“It’ll be sad when it’s over. We’ll have to go back to Haven. You wanna sneak back on a ship or will you be going back in style?” He asked, shooting his hand out in what she assumed was some kind of boat or ship gesture.

“I don’t know yet.” She lied, kicking a loose rock on the path. “I… I’m not sure.”

“Oh. Well I can ask about it if you want?”  
“Don’t worry about it,” She brushed off the offer with a forced smile.

Sun filled her in on what was happening at the school and with his team and the Grimm coming into the city from mountain Glen and Serene listened, revelling in the last few hours of seeing her friend.

They got fruit salad from the cafeteria and ate in the garden, watching the ducks swim around the pond.

“You know,” Sun said, “if you wanted, when we get back to Mistral – if you decided you didn’t want to keep studying – we could help you out. I’m sure Jazz or Nyla or Maizie would let you stay with them for a while.”  
Serene sighed, pushing her hair out of her face. “I don’t want to talk about that,”

“Okay.” He nodded. They sat in silence for a while before Serene broke it.

“I… have something for you. Here.” She held out her hand and Sun took the gift.

It was a metal bead an inch long made of wire wrapped around a tiny multicoloured stone she had popped out of an earring.

Sun smiled softly, moving the bead around in his palm. “Thank you. Did you make it?”

“Yeah,”

“It’s beautiful.”

“Shut up.”

“Thank you,” he repeated. He pulled off his necklace and threaded the bead onto it. He put it back on and smiled at her. She rolled her eyes but smiled anyway. Her smile turned sad as she thought that this would be the last time she would see him. If Raven had her way she hoped this would be the last time she saw him.

“I’ll see you later,” He promised. She didn’t say anything, just hugging him back.  
“Goodbye,” Was all she said. He waved as he left the garden and she waved back, waiting until he was out of sight before letting her hand and her smile drop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

_Can you bring my things to the hospital?_

Jazz pulled out her scroll as it vibrated. The crowd cheered around her and she leaned over to read the text.

 _Sure, what do you need?_ She sent back.

_Just throw all my shit into my trunk. I’m too tired to make a list, sorry. Most of it should still be in there._

_Yeah of course_. _Be there in an hour_

Jazz leaned over to Nyla and Maizie. Neither looked particularly into the tournament. Maizie was scrolling through her scroll and Nyla was flicking bits of popcorn into the hair of the people sitting in front of them who were cheering enthusiastically.

“I gotta go!” She called over the noise.

“What’s up?” Maizie asked, leaning in.

“Sera wants some of her stuff; I’m gonna drop it off.”  
“I think I’m going to leave too.” Nyla said.

“Yeah, this suck.” Maizie agreed. They all got up and shuffled out of the arena and made their way back to their dorm room in Beacon. Maizie and Jazz threw what few things Serene had unpacked into her trunk and dragged it down the hall.

“We should get her something,” Maizie said as they walked through town. “Like a book. All she does is read but she had like, no books of her own.”

“That’s a good idea,” Jazz agreed, looking around. “Are there any bookstores around here?”

“I think there’s a Baron’s and Stable’s a few street’s over,” Nyla said, pulling out her scroll. They followed her directions to the two-story bookshop and stepped inside. It was nice, with warm red walls and brown, wooden bookcases.

“What kind of books does she like?” Jazz asked.  
“Well she read that whole history series from the library,” Maizie pointed out, wandering through the tall shelves.

“She is doing really well in Grimm studies and History.” Nyla added. “I don’t think she’s big on fiction.”  
“She’s been on her own since she was little,” Maizie picked a heavy, hardback book off the shelf and reading the back. “She probably hasn’t had much chance to read.”  
They split up, scanning the shelves for something that might perk up their bedridden friend.

“I found this,” Maizie said, holding up the book she chose. “It’s about famous and significant Huntsmen since the war and this,” She held up another, similar book, “Is about huntsmen during the war.”  
“I got one about lore and different myths from Mistral.” Jazz said, holding up the colourful book.  
“I got the World of Remnant series,” Nyla said as they got in line behind the older woman buying an armful of hardcovers.

“So you’re just gonna show us up like that huh?” Maizie asked.

“You’re going to make us look bad.” Jazz added, looking between her single book and the nice, limited edition collection Nyla was holding.

“I’m sure she’ll like them all.”

They paid for their books, Maizie grabbing a card at the counter, and walked to the hospital. Maizie wrote something in the card and tucked it away, putting all their gifts into the trunk as they waited for a nurse to lead them to Sera’s room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked the chapter. Please let me know what you thought, if you have any feedback at all I'd love to here it. Comments help keep me motivated and keep the story going and gets the chapters written.


	18. Chapter 18

 

 

 

Serene accidently locked herself out of her scroll and was trying to get back in when she heard the knock at the door.

“Come in,” she called, tossing her scroll into her duffle. Her prosthetics were still attached, and she didn’t realise how much she liked simple things like crossing her legs or being able to tie up her own hair, which she had done in intricate braids and ties out of boredom.

The door opened and she was grateful her heart monitor wasn’t hooked up, because she was pretty sure it started to race as Professor Ozpin stepped into the room.

“Miss Havoc? I was hoping to have a word, if you’re up for it,”  
Serene bit her lip, reminding herself to stay calm and casual. She was leaving tonight, but still didn’t think Raven would appreciate her blowing her cover in the final yard, or that he would get away with it.

Ozpin walked into the room, softly closing the door behind him as he approached the bed. “I’m sure you’re tired of hearing this question, but how are you?” he asked.

Serene shrugged. “Fine, I guess.”  
“You’re not having any problems with your prosthetics?”  
She shook her head. “Nope.”  
“That’s good to hear. I know you’re not technically a student of Beacon and you’ll only be here another few months, but I do hope that you speak to someone if you need to. We do employ several councillors at the academy for grief and trauma therapy.”  
“I’m fine,” She shrugged, leaning back against her pillows, looking down at her lap.

“That’s good to hear. I just wanted to personally stop by and thank you on behalf of Vale and the village of Peral for your actions. Your sacrifice saved a lot of people’s lives. You should be very proud of yourself.”  
Serene held back a scoff. “Proud…” She muttered, looking down at her hand.

“I know it doesn’t seem like a fair trade, but more than a hundred people are still alive because of your actions.”  
“It wasn’t just me,” Serene muttered, not comfortable with the praise.

“Yes, of course, but your teammates spoke highly of you; you took charge. Don’t discount your bravery. I’m very glad to know, should you choose to continue your education at Haven, there will be Huntresses such as you taking up the mantle.”

Serene didn’t know what to say, so she just stared down at her lap, wringing the blanket between her fingers.

“Anyway,” Ozpin said, having given her a moment to say whatever she wanted. “I just wanted to assure you that your actions were appreciated. I hope to see you back at the academy soon.”  
Serene waited until he had left the room before untensing, letting out a breath and falling back against the pillow, suddenly exhausted.

 

 

Serene was drying her hair after a much-needed shower when her teammates arrived, her trunk in tow.

“Hi!” Jazz smiled, placing the trunk at the end of the bed. “How are you?”  
“Fine,” Serene said, brushing her hair and sitting on the bed.

“We got you coffee,” Maizie said, sitting on the bed with her and handing her the colourful paper cup, taking a mouthful of what Serene was sure was a sugar and marshmallow loaded hot chocolate.

“Thanks.”  
“We just shoved all your stuff in the trunk.” Jazz said. “Well, Maizie shoved it in and me and Nyla tidied it up.”  
“Thanks.”  
“How much longer do you have to stay in the hospital?” Nyla asked, taking a seat in the chair beside the bed. Jazz sat on the other end of the bed behind Maizie and laid down.  
“I’ve got a physical therapy appointment tomorrow.” Serene sipped her coffee. It tasted so good and it took all the self-control she had not to gulp the entire thing down in one go. “If that goes well, they said I could probably leave the day after.”  
“That’s good.”

“You’ll be able to come to the last night of the Vytal tournament.” Maizie said. “If you want to,” She added quickly.

“Maybe,” Serene shrugged. “Who’s in the finals?”  
“Pyrrha Nikos is in the singles round tonight,” Nyla said.

“Oh! Did you hear about what happened with that Beacon girl?” Jazz asked, sitting up.

“What?”   
“She like, shot that Mercury kid in the leg.”  
Serene frowned. “So?”  
“Like, after the fight was over. For no reason.”   
She pulled up the footage and showed Serene footage of the blonde girl, Yang, if she recalled correctly, shooting Mercury in the leg, unprovoked.

“Holy shit,” Serene muttered.

“Yeah.”  
“Cold blooded,” Maizie muttered, shaking her head. “She was so nice at the dance too.”  
“Did you actually dance with you?”  
“No, she was dancing with her sister.”

“That’s so weird.” She mumbled.

Jazz put her scroll away and they chatted for a bit more, catching Serene up on the events of the last three weeks. They seemed to be avoiding the prosthetics and her scars, as though they were waiting for Serene to bring it up on her own, or they thought she might break if it were acknowledged.

 _She_ thought she might.

Their revelry was interrupted by another knock at the door.

“Hi guys,” Professor Champagne said, leaning against the door frame. “Can I have a moment with Sera?”  
“Yeah, sure,” Jazz said, getting off the bed.   
“We should probably go, actually,” Nyla said, standing, “it’s getting late.

“We’ll come back and visit you tomorrow morning,” Maizie promised, hugging Serene carefully. Serene hugged her back, both arms wrapping around her, knowing it would most likely be the last time she saw her. The thought made her hold on a moment longer.

“Goodbye,”

Jazz, Nyla and Maizie left and Serene found herself missing them. But she’d be gone tonight, what did it matter how she felt anymore.

Professor Champagne came in, dragging the seat a few feet away from the bed and sitting in it, crossing her ankles as she lounged back.

“How’s the arm?” She said, skipping right past the pleasantries.

“Hurts a bit, sometimes.” She admitted, something about the Professor making her feel like she could be honest, like it was a safe space with her looking over the room. “It’s not unbearable.”  
“That’s good. That should dim over time. And the leg?”  
“Fine. A bit wobbly.”  
“You’ll get the hang of it; I’ve seen you balance,”  
Serene cracked a smile. She couldn’t see most of the prosthetics in her loose jeans and giant hoodie, but her fingers and foot were sticking out.

“I would have been by sooner but getting those things sorted was a bitch,” She said gesturing to her arm. “Ironwood’s being all weird lately.”  
“I didn’t think you’d have connections in Atlas.”  
“I’m a Huntress; I’ve got connections everywhere.” She grinned, holding her arms up, in a ‘what can I say’ gesture.

“Thanks. So… these are mine? Cus I can’t afford this Atlas tech.”  
“All yours. Not every Hunter gets this treatment, but after the selflessness and bravery you showed the headmasters agreed it would be a tragic loss to have a huntress as promising as you taken out of the game so soon.”  
Serene nodded, and hesitated. “And if… if I… choose not to fight anymore?”  
“Still yours. It’s not an incentive or bribe or anything; they’re yours to keep.” She sat up and shifted, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her knees. “To get to the point; I just… I wanted to tell you, that what you did was really brave,” She said seriously. “You blew yourself up, got us out of there, and still saved the village even though you didn’t have to. Not a lot of people would have done that. You saved a lot of people’s lives. I’m really proud of you.”  
Serene felt her throat tighten, her throat burning. She didn’t notice she was tearing up until she felt the first tear fall. She quickly wiped it away.

“You okay?”

Serene nodded quickly, sniffling slightly. “I just… I’m fine.”  
Champagne nodded, standing up. “Well, if you need to talk or you need anything at all, just call me,” She handed Serene a card and she took it, seeing the professors name and number on it.

“Thank you,” She mumbled.

“See you around kid,”

Professor Champagne left and Serene took a minute to lay down, feeling sorry for herself and clutching the card tightly, crying herself to sleep.

 

 

 

Serene woke to the sound of screaming in the street.

Climbing – falling – out of bed she hurried over to the window, stumbling slightly and falling against the frame.

About ten stories below, Grimm were running wild. People were fleeing, flames from stores and flipped over cars illuminating the street.   
“Shit,” She muttered, “Shit!”  
Running over to her bag, she pulled on her shoes quickly, shoving her things into her bag and her bag into her trunk, fumbling with her scroll for Maizie’s contact.

She jumped at the sound of Raven’s portal opening, shutting her scroll quickly and turning to see her and Jaron coming through.

“We’re going, now.”  
“What?” Serene asked, “but-”

“Now!”

Jaron grabbed her trunk and Raven grabbed Serene’s right arm, pulling her through the portal.

The screams of terror and harsh lights of the hospital faded away to the dim lighting and near silence of Raven’s tent. Jaron came through behind her with her luggage and Raven let go of her arm.

“What the fuck?” Serene demanded. “What the fuck was all that?!”  
“I don’t know,” Raven said, letting the portal close.

“Bullshit!”  
“I don’t know!” Raven snapped. “It came over the radio an hour ago.”

“An hour ago? What the hell have you been doing for an _hour_?”  
Raven slapped her, hard, and Serene fell on her back, the metal of Raven’s gauntlets splitting open her cheek.

“Do _not_ fucking talk back to me.” She hissed. “Give me your scroll,”

“What?”   
“Your scroll!” She reached down, grabbing it out of her hand, throwing it on the floor, sending her sword through it and slicing it in half.   
“What the fuck?!” Serene demanded. Her heart was racing, her mind was reeling, and she couldn’t focus.

“Get to your tent and wait there.” Raven said, shoving the handle of her trunk to her. Serene stared at her, annoyed and angry that she wasn’t getting any answers, but grabbed the trunk, storming out into the night.  

A few people still out glanced over at her from their posts, but it was too late, or too early, to care.

 

Serene arrived in her tent, slightly dusty and dirty from neglect and slammed down the trunk down, falling onto her cot and glaring at nothing in particular. She could feel the blood slipping down her cheek to her neck. She wandered if it would scar.

She figured that was the least of her worries.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! I live for reviews guys, I've also got a RWBY tumblr Northforwinter


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